After Death Comes a Knocking
by Barton-Lover2
Summary: After the events of CA:WS and Age of Ultron, Clint just needs a break. Pietro's death has made Clint really see the need to spend time with his now three little kids. But things aren't as they seem to be. Laura suddenly has no idea what he means when he off-handily mentions the Avengers. What happened and can he fix it before it's too late?
1. Coming home

Laura Barton sighed in contentment as she looked out over her farm land. Her little flower garden had blossomed well this year and the rain that had been predicted earlier in the day looked like it had shifted off course. Far off in the yard, nearer to the slightly run down barn, the start of the vegetable garden and some fruit trees looked to be coming along well. Copper and Lila were inside, silently playing together. Laura praised the Lord that the two got along so well. She had no idea how she would have lasted as basically a single mother if they hadn't.

A swift kick in her stomach region reminded her of the soon to be new addition to the family. Little Nathanial was far more active that his older siblings. Already a little trouble maker, Laura suffered through almost eight months of 'morning sickness', a sudden intolerance to all types of chicken, and a complete aversion to all things healthy. Whenever he was home, Clint loved making fun of her new eating habits. And as each day passed, it was harder and harder for Laura to continue convincing Cooper and Lila that they still needed to eat healthy while she ate whatever crap she wanted.

A sudden familiar whine of a slowing Quinjet's engines had Laura perk up from her thoughts. As the sound grew louder, Cooper and Lila rushed from the house to join Laura on the porch. They were partly excited and partly frightened, like every time they heard the noise of a Quinjet. In fact, Laura felt much of the same way.

"Is Daddy finally home?" Lila curiously asked in her soft spoken four year old voice. Laura didn't reply. She had long since learned that an appearing Quinjet could be Clint or could be any one of four others (now seven [eight if one counted the deceased Coulson]) that knew of this little slice of peace.

"It could be Uncle Nick," Cooper pointed out with his superior eight year old mind. Lila frowned. While she liked Uncle Nick, she wanted her father home soon. "He's been visiting a lot since his business went to crap."

"Cooper!" Laura quickly scolded, turning her head from the image of the Quinjet on the horizon. Cooper winced at her tone. Language was strictly enforced in the Barton household. In fact, Clint usually ended up being in trouble more often than not because of what he said. The archer's language use had even increased since hanging out with Tony Stark. So Laura shouldn't have been surprised at what happened next. "Who taught you that?"

"Uncle Tony," the boy softly admitted. It was something Clint had feared if he ever introduced his family to the Avengers. While Clint was often in trouble, he actually only used language when the kids weren't around but Laura still yelled at him. And while the Avengers had only come to the farm once since the first introduction during the fight with Ultron, Cooper had stuck to Tony Stark's side like glue. It almost came as no surprise that Cooper would learn some bad language.

"Well, I'll have words with him," Laura huffed as the Quinjet touched down in the empty field that Clint had mentally designated the landing zone. She sighed. Considering Clint was now freely bringing his dog home, there needed to be a fence out there soon. Maybe she'd get a horse or something as a cover story. Nervously the family waited as the jet went through the final landing procedure. This was something the family had gotten used to but they were still tense as they wondered and waited to see who would step out of the jet.

It seemed to take forever before finally the back hatch began to open. Cooper and Lila went to run toward the jet before seeing who was inside but years of Laura telling them not too made them stay by her side. Even if they were practically jumping. Finally the back finished lowering and out stepped Clint Barton, the shaggy looking Arrow (renamed Lucky by the kids) waiting patiently at his side. Laura's relieved sigh was masked by Cooper's whoop of triumph and Lila's scream of joy.

"DADDY!" the little girl shouted before her and Cooper raced to get to Clint first. Arrow barked from Clint's side but his training made it that he didn't move until Clint snapped his fingers. Once the archer did that, Arrow rushed off to meet the children. Laura stayed behind on the porch, knowing her pregnant form needed rest and it'd take her forever to get down the steps. But she studied her husband from afar, looking for any new signs of injury or use of that Dr. Cho's miracle machine. Not that she'd be able to see that. If Clint hadn't mentioned the use of it on him before, she would never had known of the hole that had been blown in his side before the big fight with Ultron.

By this point, the children had reached Arrow midway to the Quinjet and Clint hadn't been that far behind. He was now hugging and kissing them fiercely like he had been gone for years. The kids squealed in delight and joy at their father and hugged him back just as fiercely. Laura laughed as suddenly Clint's face took on a different expression. The trios hugs and kisses paused as the kids registered the change in their father. Cooper was first to realize and with a yell, he spun and raced off, Arrow running after him, barking excitedly in confused joy. Lila came next, squealing almost like a pig as she rushed to get away from Clint before his mental countdown reached zero.

Then as sudden as he changed, Clint roared this fake roar and took chase after his kids. Cooper and Lila both screamed back in a poor imitation of their father's roar. Laura chuckled as Clint drew closer to Lila (the slower of the two kids). He grabbed at her and faked missed her to give her a better chance of getting away.

"I'm gonna get you," Clint cried to the girl. Lila shouted again in faux fear before picking up the speed. Clint chuckled and followed after. It didn't take much longer for the group to arrive near Laura. Arrow stopped at the bottom step, knowing better than to jump on Laura at this point. But Cooper rushed up the steps.

"Save me!" the boy jokingly begged as he rushed behind his pregnant mother. Laura chuckled, watching as Lila came tripping up after Cooper.

"Help! He's gonna get me!" Lila added, rushing behind Laura's other side. Clint stopped at the bottom steps, for a moment looking at Laura with his hands out ready to get her rather than his kids. Laura, knowing that Clint knew all of her good tickle spots, held out a hand to stop him. Clint paused halfway up the stairs.

"Clinton Francis Barton, you tickle me and you better be ready and willing to fly that jet to a hospital," she threatened, figuring that a tickle fight right now would cause her to go into labor. Clint chuckled, covering his confusion of whether he'd be flying to the hospital for himself or for Laura if he went after her. Laura then smirked and Clint backed off, knowing what was going to happen next. "Course. I don't know why you two are hiding behind me."

Cooper and Lila had no time to register what Laura meant before she reached behind her and started tickling her children. Their screams of delight made the Braxton-Hicks that hit her totally worth it. Clint laughed at the plight of his children and the look of contentment on his wife's face. It felt good to finally be home. Even better knowing that he had a minimum of three months off from being an Avenger and missions. Not that Clint had had to worry about actual missions for a while.

About ten months ago, Natasha (aka Black Widow) and Steve (aka Captain America) exposed S.H.I.E.L.D as being overrun with Hydra agents. Thankfully, Clint had been on mandatory leave after trying to 'kill' himself by taking on too many mission in an effort to get over so many various issues in a short amount of time. While Laura had been pleased as punch having Clint home, she had also been rather upset that he was trying to commit suicide from a mission. It was the downside to S.H.I.E.L.D being destroyed, Fury wasn't in charge of the Avengers anymore. Now the person in charge of the Avengers was Maria Hill and she never was all that good about giving well deserved breaks. So, Clint's mandatory leave, which was supposed to last for four months, only lasted about two weeks.

Course it would be within that small amount of time that Clint got Laura pregnant again. It almost came as no surprise to either party but Laura was rather worried. Dealing with Cooper and Lila was easy and now she was adding a third? And worst, Clint didn't actually find out about the new baby until he nearly died on an Avenger's mission and came back home for a break. If she lost him, what would happen to her and the kids?

"Dad?" a soft spoken voice asked, knocking Clint out of his thoughts in surprise. Cooper was standing before him, looking worried. Arrow was rubbing his head into his hand. Having no idea what was going on, Clint quickly glanced around. Lila and Laura stood in the doorway, staring back at Clint and Cooper was actually holding Clint's right hand, partly tugging the archer in an effort to get his dad to follow. Arrow was on his right, whining pitifully. Shaking it off, Clint smiled to Cooper.

"Yeah, bud?" the archer replied, hoping his mental snafu could be ignored by the rest of the family. Cooper frowned at him along with Laura. So, no such luck on that. Arrow bumped his head into Clint's hand again and Clint absently patted the pup. Slowly, he finished walking up the steps till he was on the edge of the stairs.

"You... Okay?" Cooper wondered, sounding more worried about his father then any boy his age should be. Clint grinned, still trying to save face. Cooper looked unconvinced but a quick glance to his mother, and Cooper knew the subject would be dropped. But Clint could see that Laura would try to bring the matter up once more. Clint just kept grinning, trying hard to act like he didn't need this break more than the others assumed.

"Well, keep up old man," Laura joked, not knowing how that would affect the archer. Clint paled, hearing the joking tone of a young teenage boy rather than his wife. _'Keep up old man!'_ Then the sound of gunfire had the archer wince as his mind quickly got lost into the main reason he was now on leave again. Lost in his memories, Clint didn't notice his family reacting to his lost moment.

Arrow quickly huffed out a warning that Laura was getting more and more used too. Looking over Clint closer, Laura recognized the signs of Clint's own personal type of PTSD. She was quick to react. Gently, she pushed Lila further inside the house. Lila didn't protest, knowing that when Arrow barked in that way it meant danger. Cooper tensed, glancing to Arrow before looking back to his father. Slowly, Laura shifted closer to Cooper and Clint. She needed to get Cooper away from Clint before the archer accidentally turned violent.

There had only been one time that Laura ever saw Clint turn violent during a PTSD event without Natasha present to handle it. Laura ended up with a broken wrist and a couple of fractured ribs. Since that incident, Natasha taught Laura what to do. One of the main things, slowly back away and let Clint handle it alone. He'd find her after.

"Cooper," Laura softly called to her eldest child. Cooper, knowing something was drastically wrong, turned to look at his mother but didn't let go of his father's hand. Arrow whimpered and slowly backed away from Clint, going against normal training for a dog of his need. The pup looked between Clint and Cooper but knew there wasn't much he could do to help, so he just backed away. "Let go of your father's hand and slowly walk over to me."

Cooper nodded, not trusting his voice to be as calm and quiet as his mother's. He got as far as releasing his father's hand before Clint reacted. Faster than Laura could blink, Clint grabbed Cooper, pulled him to his chest and spun around so that his back was to Laura before tensely waiting for something to happen. Fearing the worst, Laura screamed and Cooper cried out in shock. Their combined cries made Clint jerk as if slapped but he didn't release Copper. It took Laura a few seconds before she realized that Clint wasn't hurting their son. Instead, it looked as though the archer was protecting the boy from whatever he was seeing in his mind.

"Mom?" Cooper questioned, using just as soft a voice as Laura had earlier. It amazingly didn't even sound that frightened even though he must have been terrified. For a boy so young, Cooper had an amazing ability to pick up on social cues.

"You okay?" Laura inquired, trying to get around to see Cooper without disturbing Clint. There was a pause in which Laura figured that Cooper tried to nod. Arrow whimpered, unsure what to do. The pup wanted to help but he knew that he couldn't until his master came out of his memories.

"Yeah. What's wrong with Dad?" the boy responded, more worried for his father than himself. Laura smiled, so much like his father that it hurt. She could almost even see Cooper in the full Hawkeye gear, out there fighting to protect the world from whatever new threats came in the future. As much as the idea of Cooper out superhero-ing like Clint terrified her, Laura had to admit that she would be proud of Cooper.

"I don't know yet, honey," Laura replied as a sudden shiver spread over Clint's body. It was the signal that he was coming out of his memories. Laura sighed in relief as Arrow yipped happily behind her. "Clint?"

"Huh?" the archer muttered, still not fully aware of what was going on. Then it hit him. He had come home. Snapping fully to awareness, Clint realized he was holding Cooper tight to his chest. Horrified he hurt the poor boy, Clint released him and scrambled back, falling down off the porch steps in the process as he hadn't been paying attention to where he was.

"DAD!" two voices cried over the sound of Arrow barking his worry.

"Clint!" Laura shouted, even as she moved to follow after him. But in his fear, Clint shuffled further away from them and it made her stop as she thought, maybe his PTSD wasn't over. Arrow stumbled down a few steps to move closer to his master but didn't get completely near him. When nothing further happened, Laura glanced at her two kids before focusing on her husband. Clint looked closed to tears as he gazed over his family, looking for something wrong. "Are you okay?"

"Did... Did I hurt anyone?" Clint mumbled, more worried about his loved ones then his now sore body. Cooper moved forward to help his father but Laura stopped him at Arrow's warning growl, waiting to see if Clint had pulled himself together. Arrow sniffed the air but still didn't get closer. Apparently, Clint was still on the verge of going back under.

"No, Dad. You didn't hurt me," the boy answered. Clint nodded before his worry turned to extreme guilt. Both Clint and Laura knew how badly that whole situation could have gone. Laura was thankful that it didn't and wasn't expecting it to happen again. But Clint knew that anything could set him off and it was frightening.

"I'm sorry," the archer started but paused, trying to figure out the right words to say to his wife. Laura, knowing where this was going, spun to face her kids. Cooper looked to her surprised but Lila, who was still in the doorway to the house, was focused on her father.

"Kids, go inside and get ready for dinner," the woman ordered in the space of Clint's silence. Her tone already showed her displeasure at what Clint was focused on. Clint looked away from his family and home, knowing he was in for a stern talking too.

"But Mom!" Cooper whined, wanting desperately to stay outside and help his father even though the poor boy had no idea how. Lila nodded but didn't move. She was beginning to shake in fear of what was happening. Normally when Clint had his PTSD moments, the girl was never around to witness it. This was the first one she had seen.

"Cooper," Laura warned, giving the boy her no nonsense tone. Cooper winced, getting rather used to this tone lately, before nodding and heading toward the door and his petrified sister.

"Come on, Lila," Cooper said as he slipped past the girl. Lila, still frightened of the whole situation, easily followed after her brother in hopes of being distracted. Arrow looked back and forth between the retreating kids and his master. With a huff, Arrow figured Laura had this covered and rushed after the kids in an effort to get some loving attention from the duo. Laura waited a few to make sure Cooper was actually following her command before focusing once again on Clint. But before she could speak, Clint did.

"I'm sorry. I shouldn't have come. I told the others that this was a bad idea," Clint started not even giving a pause to let Laura respond or even really react. He continued spewing different statements about how he should leave and he didn't want to hurt anyone.

"Clint Barton!" Laura loudly interrupted. Clint winced as if slapped but stopped talking. He almost looked like a kicked dog, begging for forgiveness. Laura sighed knowing that that reaction came from years of abuse. While Clint never told her much about his past, she had picked up on enough to understand a little of what he went through. "What makes you think this is a mistake? You've had episodes before."

"I know," Clint mumbled, shifting to a more comfortable position on the ground. Laura frowned. She couldn't see his face anymore but could tell that he was internally beating himself up. Shaking her head, she slowly started to hobble down the steps. Clint glanced up at the creak of the wood and once seeing her coming down, he jumped to his feet and met her halfway, stopping her to help her sit down rather than walk down the rest of the stairs. Once she was down and comfortable, Clint went to back away but Laura pulled him into a hug. Clint tensed for a moment but then relaxed into the hug enough to hug her back.

"What happened to you? You've never returned from a mission like this," Laura commented softly as she started stroking Clint's head. Clint sighed deeply into his wife's chest as everything began to compile onto his mind again. It was true. Whenever Clint had a really bad mission before, normally he called her before going off somewhere with Natasha. He never came home messed up and if he ever had too, Natasha typically came as well.

"Have you... Watched the news at all?" Clint wondered, his voice slightly muffled by Laura's chest and stomach. Laura chuckled lightly at the fact that he didn't move. When he didn't chuckle back, Laura knew that this situation was serious. She shook her head before realizing that he couldn't see her.

"You know I don't like too when you are on a mission," Laura stated. Clint nodded into her chest. It was true. He had actually begged her not to watch the news when they first started dating. At the time, he didn't want her to put two and two together and report him for murder but now, she listened because she felt safer believing his missions went without a hitch, no matter how many times Fury, Coulson or Natasha called to report Clint was injured and or missing.

"My mission... My original mission was Loki's scepter... As you know," Clint began. Laura sighed. He was stalling. She pulled him off her chest to look into his face. His eyes focused on the ground rather than her. Laura shook her head. He was avoiding. She'd need to press him to get the answer she really wanted.

"You told me that. And about Ultron and those poor kids," Laura told him, noticing right away when Clint winced at the mention of the Maximoff twins. She frowned. Any mission that involved kids tended to always hit Clint the hardest. But Laura could tell there was something more to this one then the others. "What happened?"

"Ultron... He... He attacked their home... Sokovia. At this point, they had already realized their revenge on Tony was stupid and wanted to fix their mistake in helping Ultron," Clint started, skipping details like he normally would for her protection. Laura nodded, piecing together the few bits that Clint was telling her along with what he told her before. "We were all on the freaking city when Ultron lifted it into the air."

Laura gasped, stunned at what Clint said. Clint looked up toward the sky, away from his home. He was getting to the worse part and yet here Laura was, freaking out over the first bit. Would he be able to tell her the truth? Could she handle it?

"Oh my god!" Laura cried more worried that Clint was in this battle even though he was sitting beside her, safe and sound. Clint scoffed, lost in his memories of the battle. It was almost like by looking away from his home, he could see the whole event happen again.

"Cap ordered Wanda... The telepath twin, to get everyone to evacuate beforehand but... There were still a lot of people that got lifted with the battle. Thankfully, while we were dealing with the Iron Man Legion, turned into Ultron drones, Fury called for the Triskillion. We started using that to help people escape," Clint continued. Laura nodded. "Nearing the end of the evacuation, Cap ordered all the non-flyers like Nat, Pietro, him and me to leave as well. I boarded one of the boats when a woman started freaking out. Her kid was still in the city."

"Oh Clint," Laura sobbed thinking he tried to save this kid and failed. And if this was anything at all like she thought, Clint had pictured this child as one of his three kids.

"I spotted the kid... He was a good distance away but doable in the time constraints. So, I went after him. All I could picture was Cooper and that spurred me to go faster. I got the boy and started back when I heard a jet coming toward me. Looking to see what it was, I saw an Ultron... No, the Ultron, was flying it. He started shooting the guns while flying closer to the boy and me," Clint added. Laura gasped again.

"You protected that boy like you had Cooper," she realized. Clint paused to remember how he held both boys before nodding. Laura did another quick once over and saw no injuries or even scabs, scars or anything really. She was half tempted to feel his body for injuries but stopped. "But... You aren't hurt."

Clint shook his head, almost too afraid to speak. He had gotten hurt during that moment but Cho had fixed him before Steve told him to leave for the farm. Laura frowned, assuming that Clint shaking his head meant that he had visited Cho's machine before dying. She was going to have to have words with Steve about using Clint as that woman's test subject.

"As Ultron drew closer that Speedy Bastard... Pietro... He..." Clint couldn't finish. Laura gasped, drawing her hands to her mouth as tears formed in her eyes. She understood what happened now and why it was bothering him so much. "He just looked at me and said 'bet you didn't see that coming.' And... Damn him... Damn him for being right! DAMN IT!"

Laura winced as Clint jumped up from the stairs to walk the grounds. He continued screaming as he walked away until he suddenly dropped to his knees and began pounding the ground. Behind her, Arrow, Lila and Cooper rushed to the doorway, stunned at the sudden noise from their parents. Lila stood frozen, unsure what was going on and wondering why her mother wasn't yelling at her father for the bad language use. Cooper watched in silence as his father broke down and screamed and beat the ground as if it could change anything. Laura sat on the stairs, not knowing what to do as she unknowingly watched Clint dissolve into another PTSD moment. Arrow growled and blocked the kids from moving from the doorway, protecting the young family from his violent master.

"DAMN HIM! WHY!? Why did he do that? He hated me! Hated me the most! Even more than Tony! DAMN IT! WHY?" Clint shouted as he pummeled the ground. Laura quickly realized that he had gone into a PTSD moment, one that was much more violent than any she had seen before. One that she couldn't stop cause this was an event that needed someone to hold Clint tight and not let go. And there was no way she'd be able to do that. Suddenly a blur went flying past her as Cooper slipped by Arrow and his mother to get to his father's side.

"Dad! Stop!" Cooper cried even as he hugged his smaller frame around his distraught father. Clint instantly froze at the boy's touch, too stunned to move. Somehow the boy's actions stopped Clint faster than anyone had ever been able to do before. Almost like the archer understood an innocent was now holding him and he shouldn't fight. Laura couldn't help her sigh of relief even as she wobbled herself to her feet.

"Coop?" the archer questioned as he dropped into a normal frame of mind. Then, like before, Clint spun and grabbed his son. But unlike before, he hugged Cooper to him and started crying. Arrow moaned and rushed down the stairs, placing his head on Clint's shoulder. Lila was quick to follow and pulled her dad into her own hug. Laura stood on the stairs, watching in a surprised horror as this was one of the few times she had even seen Clint cry over something. The family sat there like that for over an hour as they listened to Clint cry and cry over the teen that scarified his life for him and a random child.

* * *

 **Hello all and thank you for following me in my continued adventures of making Clint Barton's life difficult. For all those who follow my previous adventures, _Clint is Whom_ ended on a strange note. I had thought it was self explanatory what happened but apparently, many have not gotten what I wrote. I apologize. Now, I have an issue. There may be many readers who have not read that past story (though there are a few things in these next few chapters that may better be explained if you read it but not really needed), and so I cannot just readily post what happened. So, if you still do not understand and wish for an answer, you may either wait for later chapters in this story where I make mention to the incident or I can private message you after you review. Whichever you decide.**

 **And now, for those who follow me you know I post about my family. Well, Little Clint has been going to an Early Learning Center and is doing much better all around. He is speaking well, listening to direction (as much as any child does) and doing good. The one main issue we are having with him is that he has a major attitude problem. He fights us on everything. We say 'go to the van' and he replies 'I don't go to van'. And as I type this he just suddenly screamed that he 'hates' one of the shows he just watched earlier this morning in enjoyment... Little Darius is starting to walk on his own, he can talk a total of about ten to fifteen words including names, hi and some phrases. He also has a bit of an attitude issue in he loves hitting, biting and scratching anyone who comes near or when he wants attention from whichever adult is near him.**

 **Hubby is working three jobs and I've been trying to be a stay at home mom and it's amazing how little time I have to do anything. The house is always a mess, the kids barely let me go to the bathroom alone and the animals are demanding my attention the second I get a free moment. Between driving hubby around and dealing with the kids I typically am too tired to do anything. Not that I'm complaining. Would rather be a stay at home mom than pay a ridiculous amount of money to daycare. Honestly, I wish I did this sooner so that I would have been better prepared for dealing with two kids at home.**

 **But that is it for now. Should be able to post later this week. Hopefully Friday or Saturday. Who knows. But for now, until next time, enjoy and please review.**


	2. Wait, what?

It had been two weeks since Clint returned to the farm. The day after his freak out, and the day that Laura planned on speaking to him about it, happened to be the same day that Nathanial Pietro Barton (aka Nate) decided to grace the world with his presence. Since then, the two adults haven't had any time to themselves to really even breath. Between Cooper's summer activities, Lila's play dates and Nate's need for constant attention, they barely had time to even go to the bathroom or rest, never mind talk. Thankfully, that same busy schedule that the kids demanded of Clint meant that he didn't focus on Pietro... Much.

"NO!" Clint roared once more as he shot awake from another nightmare. They started a few nights ago and Clint, knowing Laura needed more sleep, had taken to sleeping in the barn so he wouldn't keep disturbing his family's rest. It was already disturbed enough with Nate. Laura was bothered the most by the little guy as he apparently needed to be breast fed every two hours on the dot. The boy was like a little timer. Sighing, Clint go up out of his makeshift bed. No way could he sleep again now. Might as well go back to the house and see if Nate needed him.

Upon entering the house though, Clint noticed it was rather silent. Almost ominously silent. Worried, Clint rushed to the stairs to go check on his family. But as he passed the kitchen, his eyes glanced toward the oven and it's clock. It was one in the morning. Everyone was probably asleep. Stopping, he just stared at the clock in shock and shook his head. Mentally, he swore he'd never mention this moment to anyone.

"Jesus, Clint. Paranoid much?" the archer asked himself. Sighing, Clint headed back into the living room and looked around. Knowing the time, he didn't know what to do. TV was out as the noise may wake the kids. Reading was out cause he needed light. He wanted to stay in the house so there wasn't much else left. But then he remembered the room he was renovating in the back of the house.

It was an old office space that Laura used once or twice before it began getting filled up with junk and old toys and such. But last spring, Laura cleared it all out for Clint. Since then he had been making it a space for well... Mostly Natasha but it was slowly turning into an area for all the Avengers now that they knew of his little family. He already had the footprints for one new room, a room that Natasha had already complained of being too big. As he went over his plans to see how it would work turning that room into more than one, Clint quickly lost track of time and what was going on around him.

"You know, I have excess milk in the fridge and freezer you could have heated up for me. Or you could have taken this feeding," a voice jokingly called. Clint paused in his work and looked up to the doorway. Laura was standing there with Nate in her arms. Arrow slowly padded in after the duo. He walked up to Clint and rubbed his head into his hand. The boy gave a coo of recognition at something. Clint smiled, moving to take the little guy from his wife even as Nate yawned.

"Sorry. It was one in the morning and... Well, I guess I just didn't think clearly," Clint lamely told her. Laura hummed just as Clint inhaled a deep breath to try and play with his son. But the smell that was emanating from Nate's diaper region made Clint grimace. "Jesus, that's nasty."

"Saved it up just for you," Laura laughed, sounding not at all surprised that there was poop. Clint groaned and held Nate away from himself to stare at the infant. Nate yawned again, unimpressed with Clint's reaction. This was defiantly the one downside to being a parent. Changing all those poopie diapers. Laura patted Clint on the shoulder as the archer brought Nate back to a more comfortable position. Arrow moved back into the living room to try and get some more sleep in before the kids wake him up to play. When at home on the farm, Arrow acted more like a family dog then a Therapy Dog for Clint. Which was good and bad. Good because Clint wasn't always focused on why he needed the therapy dog. Bad because there have been times when he needed the dog to pay attention and he would be off playing with the kids. "I'm gonna go start breakfast. Cooper was getting dressed upstairs and Lila's in the bath."

"Okay," Clint replied as he started to head up to the nursery to change their son. He learned early on not to complain about changing diapers or doing much of anything when he came home from a mission. When he was home, he did all the hard work; diaper changes, baths, laundry, cleaning, and whatever else Laura could cook up for him to do. Basically, he tended to act like the single parent while Laura took as much a break as she could with the number of children they head. But the longer he stayed home, the more likely that Laura would give in and start helping. And then the chores would become evenly split between the duo. Course at the point the two seemed to have a game of giving the other the 'worse' poopie diaper.

Changing Nate turned into a bigger experience than Clint first thought it was going to be. First off, Nate 'exploded' his diaper and all onto his outfit. The poop went out the sides and up the boy's back and in every nook and cranny in between. Second, the outfit Laura had chosen couldn't easily come off of Nate and so all the excess poop went to all few clean areas left on the poor boy and all over the changing table. Third, upon opening the dirty diaper, Nate decided it was a good time to pee and it went all over Clint's shirt (which also had gotten some poop on it). Then, after fully diapering and washing Nate clean, Clint realized he hadn't grabbed a clean outfit. Upon getting one, he noticed poop was still on his hands and now all over the clean outfit. Clint tossed the shirt down.

"Oh come on!" he cried, frustrated. A soft laugh from the door had Clint spin around. Lila and Cooper were watching all dressed and ready for the day. Clint groaned. He really didn't need them to see this humiliation. It was bad enough Nate was watching, not that he'd remember it but still he was there.

"Need help?" Cooper asked as Lila held up a clean shirt from Clint's own closet. Clint glanced down at his still poop and pee covered shirt before smiling at his children. Still chuckling, Lila handed off the shirt even as Clint stripped out of his dirty one and Cooper snuck past to get a new outfit for Nate.

"Don't worry, happens to Mommy too," Lila soothed, holding the dirty shirt by the tips of her fingers as she headed for her parent's bedroom to drop it off. Cooper dropped the outfit off at the changing table before getting Nate from his crib where Clint had stashed the boy after putting him in a fresh diaper. Clint snuck past to grab another wipe and clean his hands off a bit more. They still smelt of poo and from past history with this, Clint knew it would be a while before the smell wore off.

"Not sure if that makes me feel better or not," he laughed at the girl. Cooper shook his head and quickly dressed Nate, not even making the boy cry in his apparent experienced haste. Clint guiltily frowned. Cooper had been four years old when Lila was born and in desperation during times when Clint was gone, Laura had taught Cooper how to put an outfit on the little girl and even how to feed her. Cooper turned around to see the guilty look.

"Dad, don't worry. I like helping," Cooper explained before picking Nate up. Clint gave the boys another smile but it was forced and fake. Cooper chuckled, not seeing how untrue Clint's pleased smile was. "Sides, I got the experience. Why not use it?"

"Cause you shouldn't have too," Clint commented softly as Cooper took Nate out of the room. Clint sighed even as he heard two sets of footsteps heading down the stairs. Slowly and lost in thought, Clint followed after his three kids. As he walked down the stairs, his attention must have shifted or something happened cause next thing Clint knew, the step he was aiming for was further down than he anticipated and the archer stumbled down part of the stairwell. The noise made Laura appear at the bottom of the steps. She was stirring something in a large bowl.

"You okay?" she questioned. Clint turned to look up the stairs he had stumbled down incredulously.

"Yeah. Just... Missed a step," he called back. Laura sighed and shook her head in a loving manner but Clint was too focused on the stairs to notice. He had never done that before, ever. Even when running in full mission gear or with untied shoes. Heck, even when he was first learning how to walk, Clint had never once tripped on the stairs. Arrow shuffled toward the stairs and looked up at Clint with one eye. Distantly Clint noted that the pup looked no longer like a pup but rather an old man dog and he wondered when that had happened. He'd only gotten Arrow a year or two prior.

"Okay," Laura answered as if that was completely normal for Clint to do. Frowning, Clint continued down the rest of the steps while carefully watching where he was going. If he had been watching, he'd have seen Arrow continue walking past with a quarter of his tail missing. Getting to the bottom of the steps, Clint also didn't notice that Cooper and Lila were already cleaning up their meals and a sandwich was left on the table. Nate was happily strapped into his new Mamaroo contraption that Clint didn't remember getting. Mentally shrugging off his trip down the stairs as being overly tired and stressed, Clint turned to go eat breakfast with his family. A quick glance as Cooper and Lila went to leave the room and the meal left behind made the archer furrow his brows.

"Lunch for breakfast?" he half joked before moving to sit down. Laura, who had returned to the stove, turned to look at him.

"What?" she asked, sounding slightly worried. Clint grabbed at the sandwich in front of him as if it explained everything. She frowned at him. "I thought that was suitable, given the time."

"Time? It's like ni-" Clint started to say but cut off as he glanced at the clock behind Laura. It was half past noon. Last time he had looked, it had been around 8:50 in the morning. He paused, frozen as he wondered how he had lost so much time. What had happened? It didn't take that long to change Nate. When could he have lost all those hours?

"Honey? Are you okay?" Laura questioned. Clint frowned before shaking his head in wonderment.

"I think so..." he lied, not wanting to worry his family for a second time this break. He glanced quickly at the clock again before focusing on Laura when the time changed by a minute. Sighing he added, "Sorry, just missing something."

As the archer started to eat his lunch, Cooper rushed back into the kitchen. In his hands was a DVD case for a new horror movie that Laura had bought. Lila was quick on his heels with a DVD of a well-worn and watched Disney movie. Clint smiled at the two. He knew what was coming. Each day the kids fought for his attention on whatever they wanted to do.

"Hey, Dad! Wanna watch a movie later?" Cooper wondered, holding his movie aloft in an attempt to get Clint to approve it. Clint glanced at the title. _The Conjuring 2_. The family had watched it's prequel earlier in the year and it had petrified poor Lila for months. But before Clint could respond, Lila shoved her movie in his face. Of course, it was hard to see the title as it had been nearly worn off. But Clint knew the movie was _Aladdin_. Lila loved all things magic and Genie was her favorite character. He had yet to tell her what happened to the voice actor.

"Can it be this?" Lila asked. Cooper moaned, sick of watching the same movie over and over again. Clint partly understood the feeling. Typically whenever he chose Lila's movie, he instead watched the young girl. Each time she watched the movie again she had a new reaction, or noticed a new item, understood a new line. For her, it was a different movie each time.

"We watched that yesterday. I want this!" Cooper demanded, moving Lila's movie away. Clint shook his head even as Laura turned to see what the argument was about. Again, before he could speak, Laura spoke.

"No!" the woman cried, moving to take the horror film away from Cooper. Clint chuckled, sitting back in his seat to happily listen to his family fight over what movie to watch. After being denied _Aladdin_ , Lila moved to suggesting other well watched Disney movies. Cooper kept trying to suggest horror movies and even some action films that were far to mature for Lila to watch. Laura even threw her two cents in with suggesting rom-coms that were family friendly. As he listened to them argue, he ate lunch, slowly forgetting about all his earlier worries. "Why don't we let your father decide?"

The screams of their children slowly died down as they focused on Clint. Clint perked up after nearly choking on his final bite of his sandwich. Lila and Cooper looked to the archer, their faces pleading him to choose one of the various movies that they suggested. Clint looked to Laura for help but she shook her head. Of all the times Clint came home, everyone tended to demand so much of him that he never usually got to choose what he could and could not do. He just kind of went along with whatever everyone else wanted.

"Uh... I heard about this new TV series," Clint muttered, desperate to choose something that his entire family would enjoy. This show was something he had heard about a while ago, but had forgotten about it until now. He had actually been interested in the premise. Cooper and Lila looked unconvinced that a TV series would be better than any of the movies they had chosen but they also didn't want to disappoint their dad. Laura sighed, knowing that much of Clint's memory on TV shows and movies were usually pretty outdated. " _Once Upon A Time_?"

"I love that show!" Lila cried, actually looking honestly happy.

"It's okay," Cooper crooned, a happy smirk on his face showing how pleased with this idea.

"Sounds good," Laura agreed as she turned to go grab Nate from his Mamaroo. The boy let out a happy cry as Laura shifted him on her hip and started to head to the living room. Clint looked to Cooper and Lila as they got up and left the room as well to choose their seats for the show.

"I'll just clean up," Clint called after them.

"Have fun," Laura sarcastically replied from around the corner. Clint chuckled to himself even as he stood and moved his plate to the sink. He was surprised to see that Cooper's, Lila's, and Laura's dishes were in the sink as well. Even the dishes Laura had been using to prepare dinner. He sighed and got to work on cleaning them all. A minute or two later, Laura came back into the room. She wrapped her arms around his waist. He smiled. "Nate's in his swing and the show is just starting."

"Okay. I'll be in in a minute," Clint said as he began to rinse a few of the dishes to be put in the dishwasher. Laura chuckled, pulling at Clint a little and rubbing herself against his back. Clint smiled, placing a dish down on the counter. "This is what started little Nate."

"I know. But, you keep adding on rooms to this place. I'm gonna want to fill them with something," Laura sexily cooed into Clint's ear. A pleasant shudder ran up Clint's back as the archer laughed. He turned around to face her.

"And here I thought they were already filled up with visiting friends," he mumbled, pulling Laura in for a kiss but stopped to speak over her lips. "If we fill those rooms up with kids, where will the other Avengers stay?"

Laura backed away before Clint could kiss her. Her expression showed her confusion. Clint frowned, disappointed that he wasn't able to kiss his wife and wondering what had happened. She had seemed to agree that it would be nice to make room for the Avengers beforehand. He didn't think anything had changed.

"Who?" Laura questioned. Clint frowned.

"The Avengers? My team?" Clint asked her, wondering what was going on. Laura shook her head.

"You mean, Phil?" Laura wondered. Clint frowned. "I thought you guys were Strike Team."

"I am... I mean... Was... Phil's dead," Clint stuttered, still believing the long held lie that Fury had told the Avengers so long ago.

"What? I just spoke with him this morning!" Laura cried. Clint frowned and went to speak again when an alarm went off. A soft beeping sound that in Morse Code alerted Clint and Laura to the fact that the Farm was being infiltrated. Laura froze as Clint spun around to look out the window.

"Get the kids. Bring them to the safe zone," Clint demanded, forgetting all about Laura's memory issues in favor of dealing with this new threat. Laura nodded and rushed to meet the kids in the living room. Cooper was already rushing out to meet Clint in the kitchen. But he walked past the boy to head to his office, a doorway hidden by the stairs and construction. Inside was a room filled with surveillance videos, weapons, and all the other security measures that Clint and Fury had installed to keep the Barton family safe.

"Dad? What's going on? Is this a drill?" Cooper whispered. Clint sighed as he made the computers flip through the various feeds from the cameras around the Farm. Finally he found what he was looking for. A group of ten soldiers with a S.H.I.E.L.D emblem on their arm was coming. Clint frowned, last remembering that S.H.I.E.L.D went down in a blaze of Hydra agents, then zoomed in on the lead man. From a quick glance, Clint could see that it was Jasper Sitwell. Clint mentally cussed. Thanks to Natasha and Steve, Clint knew that Jasper wasn't actually S.H.I.E.L.D anymore. But the other members of the team with him were all unknowns. He didn't want to assume anything, yet. "Dad?"

"Cooper, go with you mother and siblings," Clint ordered before grabbing his spare bow and quiver. Cooper's face grimaced before he grabbed a small gun. Clint paused. He had trained Cooper and Lila to shoot guns before. Lila wasn't all that good as the recoil on most guns tended to mess with her aim, but Cooper was like a little Hawkeye himself. The kids were all better with a bow and arrow but their bows were always hidden in the barn.

"I wanna help," Cooper told his father. Clint's frown deepened before a thought crossed his mind. While he would normally love the backup, he was unsure if having Cooper be that backup would actually be helpful or more of a hindrance. Thankfully he thought of what Natasha or Steve would have ordered him to do in this type of situation.

"How about you help by protecting your mother and siblings?" Clint suggested, turning and grabbing an extra clip meant for the gun that Cooper had grabbed. Cooper smiled for a moment before realizing, if he had to use the gun then that meant these guys got past his father. And the only way they'd get past his dad is if the archer had died.

"Dad," Cooper whined even though he understood the importance of the other job. Laura appeared in the doorway with Nate wrapped in some type of carrier on her chest. Lila was cuddling a stuffed Hawk toy that Clint had long ago given her. She looked to be almost crying. Arrow was at her side, trying to soothe the girl with a comforting head rub and a whine of sympathy.

"Cooper," Clint began, getting on his knees and holding the boy's arms and looking into Cooper's face. Tears were starting to form as Cooper understood this may be the last time he saw his father. "I need you to be the man right now. I need you to protect your mom, sister and baby brother."

"But, I can help you," Cooper moaned. Clint nodded as Laura shifted past to load herself up with weapons. She had a duffle bag that Clint could already see held diapers, wipes, bottles, and formula. The safe zone already held food and water for the older kids. This was an area of the Farm that Laura and Clint were dedicated to keep up to date. Clint was even pretty sure that Laura had hidden some old toys down there to distract the kids from the dangers happening on the Farm. In this same area was a rather large RV camper that also had a bunch of stuff prepacked in it. It wouldn't be too hard for Laura and the kids to jump in it and escape in the need rose.

"Coop," Clint warned, not wanting to spend too much time arguing with his oldest. This time the tears did start to fall down the boy's face. Clint sighed deeply while he mentally groaned. He leaned down. "Please?"

Cooper slowly nodded even as tears fell. Clint patted the boy's arm before pulling him into a hug. Who knew what would happen. Could this be the last time Clint could hold him? Laura nodded to the archer, as Clint opened his arms to get Lila into his hug as well. Lila quickly rushed into his arms, and sobbed into her father's chest. Clint sighed, releasing his kids far too early than he wanted and moved to kiss Nate on the forehead. Nate cooed, almost as if he understood what was happening.

"Be safe," Laura demanded. Clint gave her an uneasy smile before kissing her cheek. He backed away.

"You know me," he promised. Laura nodded, knowing that was going to be the best she was going to get from him. They both found it easier if he didn't give her a promise he couldn't keep. The alarm that had been a new constant suddenly went silent. A sign that the invaders were close to the house. Clint patted Laura's arm. "Go."

Laura again nodded before grabbing some last minute things and rushing away. Lila was fast on the woman's heels, drills from years prior keeping her alert. Cooper and Arrow paused, looking to Clint as if the archer would change his mind and beg either of them to wait and help. When Clint said nothing and instead turned to enter the kitchen, Cooper tightened his hold on the gun before chasing after the rest of his family. Arrow huffed before going as quickly as he could have the humans. Clint moved further into the kitchen. It was the first door that the invading team would reach. In fact, it wouldn't be much longer till they arrived.

Further into the house, almost near the path that the rest of his family went, there was a loud crash. Clint tensed but waited. Then a scream echoed through the hall followed by Arrow's barking and then a whimper of pain. Clint spun to look, as if he could see what was happening. It was just enough of a distraction for one of the men to break through the kitchen door. Clint spun back around as the man raised his gun and took a wild shot that hit the wall five inches from Clint's head. For a moment, Clint was tempted to shoot but he thought better of it. These may be innocent men with Jasper. Fury and Hill still held some belief that S.H.I.E.L.D agents got lost in the fray with Hydra and were still alive.

"My name is Clint Barton!" Clint shouted to the man even as there was another shot, closer this time. A second man breached the house. "Code name Hawkeye! SHIELD ID Alpha, 0731129. Stand Down!"

The invading team didn't respond. Instead, they started shooting at Clint's poorly concealed hiding spot. Clint grimaced and waited for a pause in firing before calling out again. This time the response was more shots from a few more guns. Clint ducked behind the counter and crawled backwards a little to better hide himself. He sighed. Apparently these guys must be Hydra agents. That meant he'd have to take them out.

Clint waited for another pause in gun fire before standing and letting off a couple of shots. His first shot hit the first invading agent square in the forehead, right between the eyes. The second shot hit the second agent in the throat as he was taller than Clint had pictured. His third shot didn't make contact with anyone as the remaining agents had smartly ducked down and hidden while reloading. Clint ducked back down into his hiding place and only a second passed before the remaining agents began shooting at him again. Before the next pause, a voice called out from down the hall. Clint shifted to defend both sides of himself but was shocked to see Cooper slowly walking closer to him.

"Coop, get down," Clint hissed, completely missing that the firing had stopped. Cooper gave a sob of fear before taking another step toward Clint. In that step, the light behind him changed and Clint could finally see the gun being held to his head. "Shit."

"Dad?" Cooper sobbed. Clint shifted his gun to try and get a shot at the man holding his son but when he looked further down the hall he saw a few more men surrounding Laura, Lila and Nate. They were slowly being herded into the living room. Arrow was nowhere to be seen. For a heart stopping moment, Clint could only think that the dog was dead somewhere further in the house. He had no idea how right he actually was. Clint cussed again.

"Lay down your weapons," the agent holding Cooper ordered. Clint's eyes darkened. Before he had an actual choice in the matter, someone grabbed the archer from behind and held him down. Another began stripping him of his various weapons. Clint knew he could have fought his way out of the grasps of the men holding him and taking his weapons away but he also knew that there was no way he'd be able to do that and save Cooper, let alone the rest of his family. It took what felt to be hours of searching Clint's frame before the agents were satisfied that he was weaponless. Once they were done, they grabbed him by his armpits and pulled him to his knees.

"Go. Sit," one of them said, pushing Clint toward the other entrance into the living room. Clint stumbled for a moment before looking to Cooper and the man holding him.

"What? We gonna talk?" Clint sneered at the man even as he continued to walk toward the area they were directing him. Laura and Nate were sitting in the rocking chair on the far side of the room with two men on either side of them. Lila had been forced onto the couch, staring at her mother. No one was around her. A man stood in front of the fireplace. It took far longer than Clint liked to admit for him to realize it was Jasper. Cooper was pushed into the room behind Clint and moved to stand in a corner. The two agents that had dealt with Clint backed up to stand in either side of the living room entrance. Jasper turned around once they stopped moving.

"Agent Barton," Jasper began. Clint said nothing. Didn't even move. Just stared at the older agent. "There has been a rumor circulating around the Helicarrier that you turned rouge."

"Yeah, same rumor that you have always been Hydra scum?" Clint countered, forgetting his language in front of his kids. Laura gasped, knowing of the evil cell group thanks to Coulson's various tales of Captain America. Jasper sighed deeply and shook his head. Clint's eyes narrowed.

"And what would you know of that?" the older agent asked. Clint snorted.

"Tasha and Steve released that info to the whole world," Clint snapped as if it was common knowledge. Laura gave Clint a confused look but Clint didn't notice it as Jasper suddenly laughed loudly. A few other agents chuckled but none of them as fully as Jasper.

"I should have known," Jasper sighed. "Of all of you, you'd be the one to remember."

Clint jerked back in shock as if hit. He hadn't thought much when Laura didn't seem to remember the Avengers. It was confusing but nothing too big. He just assumed lack of sleep was involved. But now, there was something much bigger going on. "What?"

"I knew we should have removed you," Jasper claimed. Then he waved his hand in a dismissive gesture. Clint turned his gaze to the rest of his family. They looked horrified and confused. "But, it's too bad those rumors I heard were true. And you know as well as I that S.H.I.E.L.D doesn't like rogue agents."

"Call Agent Coulson! He'll verify for us!" Laura cried, not understanding the severity of what Jasper had been saying. Clint grimaced as Jasper turned to her and smiled.

"Oh, I'm sure he would. It's too bad that he's not here," Jasper said before walking out of the room. Clint barely heard the last commanding order before a shot fired into his back. As he fell, he heard a scream and more gunfire before he fully blacked out.

* * *

 **OMG! I was supposed to post this last Friday! ARGH! Busy life… Currently in Cape Cod on a work vaca for my husband for only two days. Hopefully I won** **'t spend too much money down here, lol.**

 **Little Clint and Little Darius are doing well. Still attitude and constant demanding of attention. Not much has changed other than Darius is walking much better than before and I keep forcing him to walk more.**

 **Followers: Matteo6321, ELOSHAZZY, sammygirl1963.**

 **Favorites: (author) ELOSHAZZY, (story) ELOSHAZZY, (story) sammygirl1963.**

 **Review Responses:**

 **ELOSHAZZY -** I'm glad you are enjoying the story after only the first chapter. And having family is always a wonderful thing. But, wonder what's gonna happen now, dun dun DUN! Sorry. Anyways, yes, its great that Little Clint is doing good and this phase is long and hard to deal with. I can't wait for it to be over. And yeah, Darius demands constant attention unless he's getting into things he shouldn't, which is a new thing he's been doing more and more of even after getting yelled at or put in timeout for. Hope you enjoyed this chapter as well and can't wait to see what you think of the rest.

 **sammygirl1963 -** tee hee. That's like all I can say. I had you on a roller coaster of the emotion wheel. And do you really think I'd have Clint hurt his family? Nah, I'm not that type of author. Though there are many cases where PTSD events such as Clint's do resolve in violence. Thankfully, Clint is currently controlled by me and not the laws of nature. Lol. Yeah, Clint's phase is just such a pain. I mean just hearing him argue with me twenty four seven just bugs me. He is really helpful many other parts of the day and so I'm trying to praise him more in those moments but it just makes the bad moments worse. Darius is doing well. Currently destroying a hotel room as I type this and trying to run from me even though it's nap time. Sorry for the long Hiatus. I didn't mean to be gone as long as I was. Just wanted to finish the story. And the next one after this can't be really written until after November so I can see Thor:Ragnarok… Oh well… Hope you enjoy the whole story!


	3. Something Strange is Happening

It took an amazingly long time for Clint to wake up. He was warm, nearing hot and sweaty, a mix that normally left him rather sleepy. A hitch in his chest every time he took a breath forced him to take stock in his injuries and what was going on. It was hard to breath and not just because of the pain in his chest from what Clint could easily tell was a gun wound. The air tasted and smelt smoky like something was on fire and considering he was warm, Clint wasn't all that mentally surprised. But he had been home and there should have been an alarm if there was a fire, right? And then Clint heard it. The crackle of a nearby flame. That information woke Clint up faster than his nightmares normally would.

"Shit!" the archer complained when he woke up so fast that it hurt his wound. Looking to his right, Clint could see the kitchen was on fire. Looked like someone rigged the oven to explode. Thankfully Clint's triple enforced safety procedures made it that the explosion didn't leave the kitchen. Sadly, as no one was around/awake to deal with it, the fire quickly spread. Clint grunted as he got up onto his knees. His back ached something fierce but apparently the faux Kevlar shirt Lila had given him that morning was working well. It had been a Christmas gift from Tony after the archer had gotten shot one to many times for the genius's liking. Clint had laughed until Tony mentioned that he would be the test subject for the military. That sobered the archer into willing to try it, especially on missions. Smoke filled the house, making it hard to see and even harder to breath. Right, fire. Where was his family? And what happened to the alarm? "Cooper!?" Clint cried into the house, slowly crawling further into the living room where he last knew his family to be. They were supposed to be watching TV, right? No... No! Panic filled the archer as he cried out again. "Laura!? Lila?"

There was no response. Not even a cough of someone trying to breath. Clint moved further into the room and touched something that was still wet but nearly cool to the touch. He looked down, distantly noting that either enough time had passed or a cloud was covering the sun to make the room dark. Though in the flickering firelight Clint could tell what he had touched was blood. His heart sank. Mentally he knew he hadn't been injured other than a bruise, but he still had no idea where his family was. Course, there had to be no way that this was real. But as his eyes followed the path of the blood flow, he saw a small body of a blond haired boy.

"Cooper?" Clint whined, not even caring how pathetic he sounded. The body didn't move. Somehow that made it real for Clint and he shuffled closer. "Oh god, Cooper!"

Clint shimmied himself even closer to the body. In doing so, his vision field was opened up to an even worse sight. Laura, still holding the body of a baby ( _Nate!)_ , and Lila reaching out for her. The girls' dolls eyes staring in Cooper's direction. Lila still even had, now dried, tear stains down her face. Nate's head was obliterated and for some reason that made Clint feel better. A head shot meant the babe felt nothing before dying. Clint gasped and just stared at the bodies of his family in horror. He didn't move, didn't reach for them. Heck, he couldn't even cry.

He was still sitting there a few minutes later when the proximity alarm started going off again. Still, he didn't move. Then the front door suddenly burst in and an actual S.H.I.E.L.D team, led by Phil Coulson, came through the burning door. Clint didn't even twitch. He just stared into the living room, feeling a lot like the living dead.

"Find all survivors!" Coulson's voice demanded from behind the archer. Clint barely turned to look for the man he once thought was dead. There was no point. Apparently he had dead and he was now in Hell. Soon, Coulson would be calling him a loser, a deadbeat, maybe even murderer.

"Phil?" he whispered, his voice lost in the roar of the fire around him. Why he called out to the man, Clint couldn't clearly recall, just that he did. It didn't take much longer before someone grabbed at Clint. Instinctively, Clint attacked. Whoever it was clearly expected this and defended themselves with trained precision. A distant part of Clint's mind connected with the fact that only two people could successfully do that. Natasha and Coulson.

"Agent! Stand down!" Coulson's voice ordered. Clint immediately froze. Even after so long of not hearing the older man's voice, it still had an authority over him. Slowly, Clint looked up into Coulson's face. "We're here to help."

"They're dead," Clint moaned as if the older agent couldn't already tell. Coulson wrapped his arms around Clint's shoulders and lifted the archer to his feet. Numbly, Clint followed. Slowly, the two began to walk through the slowly disappearing flames. Clint barely even noticed. He was in shock that his family was dead, his home was burning and his mentor was suddenly alive again. "They're dead."

"I know. I'm sorry," Coulson soothed as if that would solve all of Clint's emotional issues. Something about those words had Clint stop speaking and it was only a few more steps before the duo was outside. Coulson turned to look back at the team that was clearing the inside. One person was coming out the doorway after them. It was Agent May. Her gaze met with Coulson's and she slowly shook her head. No one else in the house was alive. Coulson sighed, he had hoped the fire and smoke was playing tricks on the rest of the Barton family and that at least one of them would be alive. Another agent that Coulson didn't recognize came out after May.

"Agent Coulson, sir. We found the bodies of two S.H.I.E.L.D agents in the kitchen," the agent reported without being asked. Coulson's eyes darkened. What happened in this house before they got here? From Coulson's understanding, the alarm went off and within minutes he and his team were on a Quinjet to the Barton farm. It was only a two hour Quinjet flight, so what happened?

"Not S.H.I.E.L.D," Clint mumbled softly, dropping down onto the ground as if he could really care less what happened anymore. And considering what happened in the house, no one truly blamed him. Coulson turned to look at the archer in surprise. How could S.H.I.E.L.D agents not actually be S.H.I.E.L.D agents? And was Clint really mentally sound enough to be believed?

"But..." the other agent tried to argue. Clint looked up at the group. His eyes had hardened and showed the fire that Coulson had seen in the young archer when Fury and him first enlisted the teen.

"Hydra," Clint stated as if it was a well known fact that Hydra was actually inside of S.H.I.E.L.D. The agents surrounding Clint, Coulson and May all just stared at the archer. Okay… Maybe something else happened here that Coulson couldn't predict. A head injury? Something?

"What are you saying?" Coulson asked, kneeling down to get closer to Clint. He needed to make sure this was a serious accusation. No, he needed to make sure Clint was of sound mind. The archer focused on the older agent. Still, his eyes held that hardened look that burned as brightly as the fire the agents had just put out.

"Hydra, it's part of S.H.I.E.L.D. Has been since the beginning," Clint told the man with a tone that verged on worry. The archer was beginning to understand that he was the only one with these memories but he had no idea why. But some of what Jasper said hinted that someone in Hydra knew about it as well. Slowly, his mind began to try and put aside the horror of his family's death and start figuring out what was going on around him. Something was going on, something bigger than Sitwell coming and killing his family.

"Coulson, we should discuss this elsewhere," May suggested, glancing around at the mingling agents. Some had paused at Clint's words and were now avidly watching the group. She had also taken a close look at the bodies. A few agents on site had been friends with the now dead agents. Clint accusing them of being part of an evil organization would not look good right now. Even if it was true. Coulson nodded, not looking away from his charge. Clint turned away from the agent to look to the ground. He needed to think. Focus, what had Jasper said? Something about him remembering the other place? What had that meant?

"Fury will want to hear this," Coulson agreed as if he wasn't trying to protect one of his favorite agents. Clint smartly remained silent even as he looked over the group to see what they thought of this turn of events. Everyone seemed shocked at his words. But to Clint, this information had been known for nearly nine months. He drifted off in thought and shock as Coulson began to get him back to his feet.

Things moved quickly after Clint lost himself. Coulson ordered a small team to stay behind and clean up the mess inside the Barton household. They were to collect all the bodies, the Barton family was to be properly buried near the barn while the unconfirmed Hydra agents will be packed up and brought back to the Helicarrier. Once he was certain that everyone understood their orders and wouldn't start gossiping about what they overheard, Coulson looked to the rest.

Some of the agents the handler knew, others he didn't. He didn't want to leave anyone here he didn't trust to deal with the household. A part of cleaning up the mess meant looking for clues as to why this happened and what could have been done differently. Coulson feared that one or more of them would try and mess with the evidence and so he made them all pack up and leave.

He ended up taking May, a pilot and Clint back to the Helicarrier early along with a few agents that he didn't trust to stay on sight, the rest had been dismissed to the nearby S.H.I.E.L.D HQ. Once they arrived, nearly an hour later, the pilot dropped the group off before turning back around to go to the Barton farm to pick up the others that needed to return. Without a word otherwise, Coulson, May and Clint headed straight for Fury's office leaving the rest of the agents to wander back to wherever they wanted.

The trio arrived at the office just as Jasper Sitwell was leaving. Sitwell took one look in Clint's direction and nearly turned sheet white. Coulson's hands turned to fists as he suddenly got a bit of a bigger picture as to what happened. Clint growled at the agent, wanting so badly to take revenge for his family but knowing that surrounded by May and Coulson he may not be able to. Even so, he had to try. For his family's honor.

"You son of a bitch!" the archer hollered before rushing between Coulson and May to try and attack the other agent. Jasper had enough time to put his arm up to defend himself before May had her arms wrapped around Clint and the two backed away. It was almost as if the female agent had sensed that Clint was going to attack, and considering May tended to train with Clint a lot, it wasn't surprising. But now May had a hard time keeping Clint under control as he was a lot stronger and far more trained then she last remembered, which was strange as she had trained with him only two weeks prior before he went on leave for his newborn. Coulson stood in the middle of the hall, holding his arms out to Jasper and in Clint's direction, acting as the last stand in case May failed. Seeing Clint under control did nothing to soothe Jasper as he seemed rooted to the spot in fear. Fury came out of his doorway and took one look over the situation. Considering what Jasper had reported to him moments before, he wasn't all that surprised that the archer wanted to kill the other agent. Hell, he half wanted to let Clint do it. But, he was the Director and he needed to find out the full truth of what was going on.

"BARTON! STAND THE FUCK DOWN!" the Director roared. Within the span of a few seconds, Clint froze and May spun him around to lay on the ground and she kneeled down on top of him. Clint didn't even twitch to get comfortable. But he did send an evil warning glare in Jasper's direction. If at all possible, Sitwell paled even more. Fury turned his attention to the frozen Hydra agent. Hill appeared behind the man and Fury nodded his head even as he spoke to the other agent. "Sitwell, get out of here. We'll discuss your actions later."

"Don't let him go! Lock him up!" Clint cried from below May even as Jasper rushed off without a second thought. Hill turned and followed, ignoring Clint's cry for justice. Fury turned back to Clint. He needed to get a handle on this situation. Already a crowd was beginning to draw.

"Shut up and get in here," Fury ordered before turning around and entering his office. Coulson turned to May even as the woman got off of Clint. The archer waited a few seconds before slowly getting to his feet. Both older agents waited for the archer to head off after Sitwell but when Clint just glared in the man's direction, they realized it was over for now. Nodding, Coulson turned and entered the office first. May paused to let Clint go in after the older agent. Once inside, May closed the door. Clint moved to sit on the couch on the far side of the room. May stood at attention near the door and Coulson stood before Fury's desk. Fury was already sitting in his chair, staring at them. "So. What the fuck happened?"

"Sir?" Coulson questioned, not understanding what the Director was asking. He had assumed that Jasper had reported an attack on the Barton Farm and that he tried to help but was too late. Maybe accidentally left Clint dying in the living room. Why none of that information had been reported to Coulson, the man would never think about, but he could only assume his friend went to help.

"Report, dumbass," Fury cussed. Coulson nodded, realizing that what Clint had told him may actually be terrifyingly true. This whole situation was too messed up. Coulson glanced at Clint to see if the archer would report but when Clint didn't even twitch at Fury's words, the man sighed.

"At around 1:20 pm earlier today, the alarm at the Barton farm went off signaling that intruders had entered the area. A team of agents and myself headed out. Two hours later we arrived to see the household in flame. We breached the entrance to see Agent Barton sitting in the living room. A..." Coulson paused to look back over at Clint but the archer was distantly staring at the ground. Certain the archer wasn't fully paying attention, Coulson turned back to Fury. The Director didn't seem to care if Clint was listening or not but he was interested in seeing how Clint would react to Coulson's report. "A body was laying near him. It was confirmed to be Cooper Barton."

"Is anyone left?" Fury demanded. Clint winced and looked at a different spot. The only tell that he actually was listening but trying to separate his emotions from the situation. Coulson frowned, wishing so badly that he could help support the archer rather than go through this. May shifted on her feet, she had no idea what it was like to lose her entire family but she could only imagine the types of feelings rolling through Clint at that moment. Fury's eye twitched toward Clint before focusing again on Coulson... His only sign that he also worried about the archer's state of mind.

"No," Coulson muttered. Fury nodded and looked to Clint. He was half surprised that the agent was doing as well as he appeared. Clint was never all that good at blocking his emotions before. If something shook the archer up, people could tell. Right now, the man looked like the hardened assassin that S.H.I.E.L.D first met. "Sir... We also found the body of two S.H.I.E.L.D agents."

"Oh?" Fury wondered, looking back at Coulson. Coulson could tell that this news surprised Fury unlike the news of the Barton family. Jasper must have mentioned everyone was dead, but not that he had apparently been there doing the actual attack. Before Coulson could say any more, Clint spoke up.

"Not S.H.I.E.L.D. Hydra," Clint snapped, reporting the same information he had told Coulson and May while at the house. He was determined to make the others understand what he was saying. It was not his fault. Coulson sighed, his head dropping as he mentally prayed that Clint was wrong. He almost wished Clint had been able to debrief with him before now. If they had, Coulson would have been able to explain what Clint meant better. May again shifted, the news still bothering her. She almost felt like Hydra wouldn't have been able to hide. Their ideals were supposed to be nearly complete opposite of S.H.I.E.L.D but... There was something about the way that Clint said it. He was certain.

"What?" Fury questioned, turning to Clint. The archer was still looking at the ground and continued to not look up as he spoke. Almost as if he was afraid of their disbelieving faces.

"Hydra agents. They've been part of S.H.I.E.L.D since the beginning. Zola... Arnim Zola has been building a cult inside of S.H.I.E.L.D since we were first created," Clint added. Fury stood up and moved around his desk to get closer to Clint. The archer looked up at the first sign of movement. Coulson turned to watch the Director. Fury stopped before Clint. No one but Fury, Hill, Coulson and the World Security Counsel knew of Arnim Zola and many of them tried to forget about the old scientist that had somehow trapped his mind in a computer.

"Are you certain?" Fury demanded, believing this news faster now that Clint had private information. There was no way Clint could have learned of Zola on his own. Clint furrowed his brow, not understanding how this world could be so different from what he remembered. What had Jasper done to everyone? And was it permanent?

"Nine months ago, Tasha and Steve already leaked this information to world," Clint growled, pissed off at the situation rather than the people around him. May glanced at Coulson as if the agent had any answer as to what Clint was talking about. Coulson frowned, not knowing who Clint meant. And he knew everyone Clint came in contact with. There were various reports from everyone at S.H.I.E.L.D... But no Tasha and Steve. (Amazingly enough considering Steve is a popular name.)

"Who are they?" Fury asked, knowing without even looking at Coulson that these are not people that he was familiar with. Clint frowned. Could this world be that different? No, there was no way. Coulson only joined S.H.I.E.L.D because of Steve's legacy. And Natasha had to of left some type of ripple.

"Natasha Romanoff, the Black Widow and Steve Rogers, Captain America. Two of the Avengers," Clint claimed. May raised an eyebrow. Her version of a laugh of disbelief. Coulson shook his head in regret, thinking now that Clint may have been hit on the head and lost his mind. Even Fury gave an air of disbelief, though his face showed no reaction.

"Clint, Captain America went missing after defeating the Red Skull in the war," Coulson tried to remind. Clint's frowned deepened as he shook his head. Everything was too different. He needed to get away soon so he could research it all. How messed up was this life? Especially if Steve was never found. Did Loki win? Had Loki even happened? What about Stark? Banner? Thor?

"No, we found Steve in the arctic. He was alive, just... Frozen," Clint claimed. Fury shook his head and looked to Coulson. Coulson shook his head. There was no story about that. And he would know as the Captain's number one fan. Sighing, Fury turned to May. The director could tell they weren't going to get anywhere with Clint at the moment. Whether it was the loss of his family or something else, Fury knew that Clint needed a minute to get things together in his head.

"Agent May, if you would bring Agent Barton back to his quarters," Fury ordered. Clint stood up, not willing to argue his stance anymore. He needed information now. His friends were too important. If they were in danger, he needed to do something.

"Where are the other Avengers? What's going on?" Clint cried. Coulson looked to the archer surprised. He had thought he had heard the man wrong. But, if the Avengers existed, something drastic must have happened. May nodded, moving to open the door but paused at Clint's words.

"Agent Barton, we will discuss this later," Fury snapped, giving the archer a glare that tried to tell him what the Director actually thought. Clint's mouth shut but he glared at the Director. It was a true sign of respect that Clint actually did quite down, even if he did glare at Fury. After a moment, the glare lessened and Fury knew that Clint understood. The Avenger Initiative was a private matter that only Fury, Hill and Coulson knew about. In fact, it wasn't even on record of existing full yet. Just an idea with a few names jotted down. And Clint was not one of them. "Do not speak to anyone else until we talk again. And Agent May, don't let him leave his room."

"Understood, sir," May stated. She opened the door and moved to walk out, expecting Clint to follow but the archer still stood in front of the couch, glaring at Fury. Fury's eyes narrowed as he began glaring back. Clint needed one answer right here and right now.

"Where is Natasha?" Clint growled, needing this before he could do anything else. If anything, he'd ask for her to met him at his quarters so they could talk. Right now, he could use his best friend. She'd be one of the only two who could help him figure out the differences in this fucked up world.

"The Black Widow was killed six years ago in Russia," Coulson calmly stated. Clint paled. "You were the one to take the kill shot."

"No... No, I asked to recruit her," Clint muttered, shaking his head and feeling more lost then when he found Cooper earlier. Coulson shook his head, feeling even worse for the archer. Fury and May stared in silence. It had been a simple mission, no if ands or buts about it. In and out.

"I was the lead and you never questioned the order," Coulson mentioned. Clint shook his head. Tears were starting to form. He had lost his family, his best friend, what else was going to happen here? Rather than deal with the archer breaking down in his office, Fury intervened.

"Agent Barton. Please, return to your quarters and think over everything you want to talk about," Fury suggested, sounding much more sincere and saddened then before. Clint frowned and looked to the Director. Slowly he understood what was going on. Jasper had been in here before them. The other agent probably told Fury that he had turned rouge before he was forced to put down his family and now here the archer was demanding to speak to people that they didn't know or assumed were dead. With a confused and worried mind, Clint nodded his head and turned to follow Agent May back to his quarters. Neither of them spoke as they left and as soon as they were out, Fury closed his door and spun onto Coulson. "What the fuck is he talking about?"

"Sir, I don't know. There were no signs of a head injury at the scene," Coulson replied as if that was what Fury was asking. Fury shook his head and moved back to the seat behind his desk. Coulson turned and watched him.

"Sitwell was in here earlier," Fury mumbled thinking that Clint had told Coulson what had happened. When Coulson didn't say anything, Fury frowned. "He didn't tell you?"

"Clint just said that his family was dead and Hydra was behind it," Coulson explained. Fury sighed.

"Sitwell claimed that he heard Agent Barton had gone rouge. To prove that theory, Sitwell took a team and infiltrated the Barton Farm. Clint was there waiting with weapons and a trained family. They fought before they were all taken down," Fury clarified. Coulson scowled. While there was still some evidence of a fire fight, Laura and the kids had been found completely unarmed. Arrow had even been found without anything but his blood on him and it was well known that Arrow had been trained to protect his family.

"You don't believe him, do you?" Coulson questioned, for the first time in a long time truly worrying about the archer's safety. Fury exhaled deeply as he mentally sorted through everything he learned in the past few hours.

"Doesn't matter. Sitwell already informed the Council," Fury grumbled. Coulson groaned and dropped down onto the seat that Clint had left. Fury dropped his head onto his hands. "The Council has claimed that Sitwell's actions on killing Barton and his family was just. And now, if Sitwell tells them that Clint is alive, well..."

"They'll order him to be terminated with extreme prejudice," Coulson finished. Fury nodded. "But what of Clint's claim. Could Sitwell and others actually be Hydra?"

"I... I pray not," Fury moaned. He then shook his head. "I'm gonna put Barton on MIA status. Watch over him until I settle this issue. If he's right and Hydra is real, his looming death sentence will be the least of our worries."

"Understood," Coulson responded. But then he paused. "What should I do with him?"

"Let him do whatever he wants. As long as he stays far away from S.H.I.E.L.D and any suspected Hydra agents. Take May with you and whoever else you want," Fury commanded. Coulson nodded.

"Yes, sir."

* * *

 **I am just as bad as before. Sorry for the long wait everyone. I totally lost track of time.**

 **So today, September 13** **th** **, is Little Clint** **'s 4** **th** **birthday! YAY! Currently he is on a walk with his dad and Darius to Dunkin Donuts. Hopefully they return with something good, lol. Both boys are well. Clint's attitude it slowly going away but rears it's ugly head when he is tired. Not surprised but we just can't get this kid to sleep. He refuses too. Darius is doing fine. Talking a bit more and walking more than crawling now.**

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 **Reviews:**

 **Sammygirl1963 -** I hope no one was around when you screamed, lol. Emotions, got to love them, lol. And the scene with Clint and Nate was actually something that legit happened to me with Darius. I was like, 'I know how to do this! Why am I failing so bad?' You have no idea how much the scene with the family fighting over what to watch gave me so much trouble. I had no idea what to write there and then when I did, I had to research movies that were out around the time frame I wanted this to be around and then make sure it fit with the family. The attack, well… That's the whole reason for the story… lol. And of course I'd use Jasper as the villain after finding out he was Hydra in CA: Winter Soldier. Ultimate cliffhanger… Hmm… Interesting, guess I should do that more often, lol. Just kidding. And yeah... Sorry for this chapter considering what you wished for.

 **Angel1D98 -** lol, hopefully this chapter helped answer your questions. If not, sorry and hope you enjoy as it is explained in more chapters ahead.


	4. Moving On?

"I can't believe it," Clint muttered for the fifth time in a row. May said nothing as she watched the archer. Once they had arrived in his room nearly an hour prior, Clint had quickly gone into his desk and grabbed a laptop computer that was stored there. For a moment May thought to take it away but then remembered that Fury never banned Clint from anything other than leaving his room and speaking to other agents. Being on the computer wouldn't violate that. But as a just in case, she stayed in the room so she could watch him. "So... Iron Man never came to be... Banner was banned from military work... And Steve was never found..."

"You've been saying that for a while now," May commented, using a knife to clean her nails in a manner that reminded Clint all too well of Natasha. Clint turned to glare at her before going back to look at his computer. He began typing in a file info request. May shook her head. Clint had been going back and forth between all his so called teammates, almost as if he expected the information to change. But, then again, if what Clint had claimed to be true, May wouldn't be surprised if it could happen while they were sitting there.

"I'm certain I wouldn't have killed Nat," Clint bemoaned again. May shook her head. She had actually been part of the mission to kill the Black Widow. Clint had been pretty distant most of that mission. But that wasn't surprising when the mission had more agents than just the archer and his handler. At one point, Coulson suggested maybe sitting down and speaking with the Black Widow but Clint was the main advocate against that course of action. Now that May was thinking it over, the archer almost looked panicked over the idea. "I know I wouldn't have."

"I'm sorry. But you did," May replied, keeping her voice low and soft. Clint shook his head even as he read through the various files and reports from that mission. She sighed and shifted where she sat. This next bit was going to be hard to tell him. "I was there. In fact, by doing so, you may have saved my life."

"Wait, you were there?" Clint asked, turning to look at her. May nodded, stunned that he hadn't seen that in the report before. She knew she filled out the file on time and in detail. It should even state her feelings on how Clint had acted. The archer looked back to the report. He scanned it over twice. "But, I don't see your mission report."

"It should be in there," May retorted, moving closer to look through the file with Clint. But he was right. Her report wasn't in there. In fact, the reports that were in the file were actually wrong. Coulson's report only listed himself and Clint on the mission. And even then, it reported that Coulson ordered extreme prejudice against the Widow. Now she was beginning to sense something was wrong. "Clint, do you see yours?"

"Uh..." Clint mumbled before looking more carefully through the report. One was marked as his but it sounded nothing like what he'd write. It was too official and in high detail. Something he never did without reason. "This isn't mine."

"Someone faked it... But why? The mission went as planned," May muttered. Clint frowned, shaking his head as he scanned over the report with a more careful eye. The code was different in this world but he was slowly uncovering what his other self was saying in it. "Unless..."

"You said I was there... Did I act normal?" Clint questioned. May frowned at him this time with an almost curious look. Clint snorted, glad for the bit of normalcy that May was bringing to this situation. "Normal for me?"

"No," she confirmed after a thought. Clint nodded, having figured as much.

"This report was filled out by me," he mentioned with another look over it. Not many agents actually tended to leave secret messages to themselves in their reports, so May's look of confusion wasn't shocking. He couldn't be serious. If the report wasn't his then how did he fill it out?

"What?" Clint chuckled realizing how he must have sounded. It wasn't his report, but he had filled it out. Slowly, he looked to her.

"The more official I sound, the more I'm leaving clues behind," Clint informed her before carefully reading through every word on the report he had written so long ago but not remembering any of it. Much of the first half of the mission had gone on like the one Clint did remember but slowly as the group saw Widow, it began to morph. The code was a bit harder to translate, almost as if he was even trying to hide the information from himself but he was able to gather one thing. "I was forced to kill her."

"Yeah, she was attacking me. I was losing," May argued, not thinking anything of what Clint was saying. Clint shook his head. In his mind she wasn't on the mission and his report wasn't even mentioning her either. All he had was her word on the situation considering her report wasn't there. If she wasn't there, Clint wouldn't have taken the shot. Or so he thought. Now he was getting the hang of this code.

"No, I fought to save her while on base. Someone threatened my life and Coulson's life to make me kill Natasha." May frowned more confused than before. Who would do that? This whole situation was messed up.

"You didn't want to kill her?" May asked, wondering if him saving her had actually been a fluke as Clint had yet to tell her that she hadn't originally been on the mission. Clint nodded and turned to look at her.

"I could see that she didn't like working for the Red Room. She wanted out but needed help to get away. S.H.I.E.L.D could have given her that. And she proved herself to Fury over the years," Clint explained. May snorted, the way Clint spoke was odd but not wholly surprising. As much as she wanted to not believe Clint, he had some very impressive things he was mentioning. Things that would explain a lot of what was going on around here and why she felt it was all wrong.

"You sound like you actually did recruit her," May said. Clint sighed.

"I did."

"Agent Barton," Coulson suddenly called. May and Clint snapped to attention as if they were two teenagers caught doing something naughty. Coulson chuckled lightly at the two even as they turned to see him standing in the doorway to Clint's room just staring at them. "You and Agent May are to come with me. Pack bags."

"But sir," Clint tried to argue, fearing that this was going to be his death march. Coulson must have understood the archer's worry cause his face shifted to show a calming face. May's shoulders sagged in relief. For the first time she realized that she didn't want anything bad to happen to the archer. In fact, she hadn't even thought about the fact that it was possible.

"You are being labeled MIA for the time being and you will be removed from base until this whole situation is sorted out," Coulson commanded. Clint frowned. That was not what he expected. Hell, he never would have thought that Fury or anyone would have believed half the stuff he had said so far. But, thinking about it more, Clint realized that a lot of what he had stated wouldn't have become public knowledge. Zola only became known thanks to Natasha and Steve, the Avengers only came about cause of Loki and Thor (both of whom never came to Earth). Those two facts alone seemingly saved his life.

"And I am?" May wondered, looking the older agent over in confusion. Coulson's face hardened a bit when he turned to her. It was his agent face, one she knew very well and respected. One that also had her standing up a bit straighter. Almost as if she wanted to please the man.

"We are protective detail. Meet us on the flight deck with a bag," Coulson ordered. May nodded and left the room knowing that Coulson would watch over the archer. Clint slowly stood and began grabbing whatever he could find from various areas. Most of what was in this room was S.H.I.E.L.D issued clothes and weapons. Clint collected it all. No use not grabbing them. Not like he really had anything private or important here. "Grab your laptop and any files. Your room will be searched while we are gone."

"So, Fury believed Sitwell?" Clint growled, stilling for a moment at Coulson's words. Anger raced through Clint's form as he wished he had fought harder against May to get to Sitwell. He had been right before, he wouldn't get another shot at the Hydra scum. Slowly, he followed Coulson's order and began emptying his desk of whatever files it stored. Coulson snorted, half amused that the archer still figured that he was being betrayed. Clint didn't even look away from his clearing out. It was almost a near flashback to when Coulson first became the archer's handler.

"No. Fury believes you," Coulson explained, his voice softened to a calming tone. Clint paused in his packing but still didn't turn to look. He needed to hear more. More than just Fury believing him. Was it possible that Coulson couldn't? "Sitwell spoke with the Council before speaking to him. They don't know about you being alive yet, so Fury is going to keep it a secret for as long as possible."

"In the mean time, you and May are watching me to make sure I don't run if the order is to actually kill me?" Clint guessed, keeping his voice level. Coulson shook his head. Of course Clint would assume that. Coulson forgot how much the archer despised himself and lacked self worth. It had been a long time since he last saw this phase of Clint. Both Coulson and Clint had grown so much since then that Coulson was nearly surprised to see this in Clint again.

"No. Fury ordered us to protect you from any S.H.I.E.L.D agents you run across and any supposed Hydra agents that want to kill you," Coulson clarified. Clint snorted, shaking his head before resuming packing. While he appreciated that Coulson would be traveling with him, Clint could handle himself. This seemed more like he was right and that Fury recruited a team to make sure he didn't run away.

It wasn't much longer before Clint finished packing. Most of what ended up getting packed was weaponry. Some of the weapons Clint remembered getting but others he didn't. And there were a few that he stared at, fighting himself inside as he wondered if the weapon came from how he remembered. Seeing his agents was done, Coulson nodded and led his agent out into the hall. As soon as they were out there, Clint noticed Agent Brock Rumlow, leader of STRIKE Team and another known Hydra agent. Clint tensed as Coulson entered the hall and locked Clint's door behind him. He turned to see Clint's intense gaze on Rumlow. Brock was staring back as if surprised to see him. News couldn't have traveled that fast about his supposed death. Coulson frowned at the sight but focused more on his agent than the agent watching them.. "Agent Barton?"

"Hydra," Clint hissed, staring at Rumlow. Rumlow didn't seem to care that he was actively staring back at Clint with hatred. There were many agents on both factions that hated Clint for various reasons so Rumlow didn't think he had to worry. And it was true, until Clint voiced his statement, Coulson honestly hadn't cared that Rumlow looked like he wanted to strangle Clint then and there. But now, Coulson focused on the other agent. He knew he should be surprised that Rumlow was Hydra but the STRIKE Team tended to follow the orders of the World Security Council more than Fury's. And if what Clint's statements had been saying were true, the WSC might be Hydra as well.

"Really?" he questioned, just to make sure this wasn't some private grudge. Well, it still could be but considering the evidence, Coulson forced himself to believe the archer even as Clint nodded. Coulson sighed before making a mental note to keep track of who Clint stated was Hydra for sure. Fury would soon want a list once the main situation with Clint's 'defection' was dealt with. "Come on. There is an order to make sure that no one talks to you."

"Awesome," Clint sarcastically replied, having had this order placed on him more than once before. Coulson placed a hand on Clint's shoulder and slowly led the archer toward the flight deck. Rumlow watched them avidly but like Coulson said, didn't speak to either man. Once they were past, Brock rushed off down the hall. Clint could only assume that he would be speaking to other Hydra agents about this sudden change in his misstated death. But Sitwell should have already handled that. Shouldn't he have? Forgetting it, Clint focused on the path before them and it wasn't much longer before they made it to the flight deck. May was already waiting for them with two duffles at her feet. Clint knew, like him, one duffle was entirely weapons and ammo and the other was either half clothes and more weapons or clothes. Judging by the easy she had in grabbing it and hefting it over her shoulder, Clint assumed all clothes.

"Agent Coulson?" she inquired. Coulson looked over the various Quinjets and other planes. Thankfully the Bus (a project that Fury promised all to Coulson when it was first in designs) was finally finished. Coulson pointed over to it as if that answered whatever question May wanted to really ask. Fury had been planning on giving it to him soon anyways. Why not take it now? May nodded and headed over, understanding his order even though he didn't speak. Clint rolled his eyes at the extravagant thing. It looked like a military transport plane with a giant S.H.I.E.L.D logo on the side. For a secret agency their logo was everywhere. A few agents were already wandering around it as if knowing that Coulson was going to be taking it out.

"Agent Coulson!?" a female voice called from the distance. Coulson and Clint turned to the voice. A couple of science nerds were running toward them. Clint barely recognized them as the known pair of FitzSimmons. Now, he couldn't for the life of him say who was who, but he at least knew who they were. They were pretty famous in the science department as they were the top of their respective classes and worked extremely well together. A few people secretly believed them to be dating or at least in love. Clint could care less. He never had to work with them before and didn't tend to care much about R&D geeks outside of if they mess up any of his equipment.

"Director Fury asked us to tag along. He seems to believe our skills may be needed," the male said once the duo drew closer. Coulson nodded. It was actually he who requested them to Fury but only Fury who could order them to come. He had explained that they may be able to run some tests on Clint in the background while they were away. Maybe there was something about Clint that gave a sign to this other reality. But he wouldn't ask them to do anything without Clint's permission. Fury agreed and sent them the assignment with explicit orders to listen to Agent Coulson on if it was ok to go ahead with the tests but that the tests were high priority.

"Okay. Get aboard," he replied, tilting his head toward the Bus. The male's face brightened. Apparently a few people couldn't wait for this project to be finished and were excited to potentially fly in it. Coulson couldn't help the slight smile from appearing on his face. Clint rolled his eyes. He always thought the point of the Bus was stupid. Why have the Bus when they had the Helicarriers and Triskillion?

"She's ready?" the male scientist questioned. Coulson laughed. He should have expected others to be just as excited as he was. Clint again rolled his eyes. He was gonna hate hanging around all these people. No matter how big the Bus was, it was still going to be tight quarters. Even tighter than the Helicarrier. And even tighter once he collected the people he wanted to help him. He already was creating a team together. Unknowingly, most of them he'd never even see.

"She's ready."

* * *

As soon as the full group was on board, Coulson brought Clint to his room and basically locked the agent inside with orders to find out what he didn't know so there were no more confusing conversations. Clint surprisingly didn't argue as he didn't want to met the team Coulson assembled to babysit him and he still had so many unanswered questions. In the meantime, Coulson met with the group he had asked to come along with him. May already had the Bus on autopilot to fly toward Iowa, the last place that many S.H.I.E.L.D and Hydra agents should be looking for the archer. She was sitting next to the head chair at the meeting room table.

Fitz and Simmons had already created their space in the labs down below and were quietly talking in the corner of the meeting room about what tests they could perform on Clint without having him physically there. Bobbi Morse was sitting beside May with Freelance Agent Lance Hunter across the table from them. Morse was an old girlfriend's of Clint and so Coulson assumed that she'd note any big changes in the archer as well as he could. When she joined, Hunter (her new on again, off again boyfriend) volunteered to whatever mission she was on without full explanation. Almost as if he didn't trust Bobbi to be in the same place as her ex. Coulson noted that he should make sure Clint and Lance weren't left alone together.

Alphonso MacKenzie, aka: Mac, a mechanic for the Bus, stood near the doorway as if knowing that he wouldn't really be needed. He was only there to fix any issues that might arise during the Bus's first active mission. Antoine Triplett was a face that Coulson didn't fully recognize, but was okay with as Clint didn't respond to his sudden appearance. Not that he knew that Clint had never meet the man either. Triplett was well known at becoming a good agent and close to top of his class. But Coulson was most proud that Agent Grant Ward had decided to come with them. He had heard good things about the man and was extremely happy that Clint didn't even glance in the man's direction. Again, Clint hadn't really met the man outside of passing so they never knew the danger he could pose.

"Agent Coulson, I was told that this is a long term mission," Ward mentioned as soon as Coulson entered the room. He stood at near military attention, almost as if he wanted to impress Coulson to get a promotion. Fury hadn't given many people on the trip the full reason as to what they were doing so Coulson wasn't surprised they were curious. Most were just ordered to pack some bags and appear at the Bus. Everyone who had been talking when Coulson first arrived, went silent and turned in their direction. Coulson nodded, knowing he had their full attention now. He cleared his throat and moved deeper into the room.

"We are unsure of the time line in how long this will take. But we are to work with Agent Barton and help him with whatever he needs," Coulson explained first. Grant frowned deeply at the mention of the archer but nodded. He needed to keep his identity secret here. First glance had shown that he was the only Hydra loyalist among the crew.

"Wait, is Agent Barton actually lead on this?" Bobbi questioned. She had worked with Clint on missions before. And whenever Clint was given a high profile job in the missions, something tended to always go wrong. Coulson sighed, knowing that she was mentally reviewing the various missions where Clint led the group astray. No matter how much he trusted the archer, not many others inside S.H.I.E.L.D did and typically, that it where the issues arose. When they didn't trust him, they didn't listen and that always caused problems.

"We are in a very difficult and unique situation with this," Coulson began to describe. He had wanted this to be a quick and easy meeting but if everyone kept interrupting him, then it was going to take a while. Especially seeing as he didn't have all the answers on this one and the one who did was currently researching.

"What are you talking about?" Grant snapped, aggravated enough that he was stuck on a mission with Clint. When Fury had given him the mission, Ward almost rejected it but then he got an order from John Garrett to go and Ward was stuck. Coulson shook his head. Now he was starting to regret some of these choices. Maybe he should have limited the team down to Clint, May, Bobbi and himself on a Quinjet. Having this many faces meant issues. Issues that could spell danger for Clint. "How is this mission any different?"

"Agent Barton was framed not too long ago," Coulson explained as if everyone knew about it already. Again, Fury basically told everyone they had a mission and to meet Agent Coulson down on the flight deck. The response Coulson got from his new crew ranged but nonetheless, it was loud.

"What? Who framed him?" Bobbi cried, nearly jumping to her feet. Lance stared at the woman with anger in his eyes. Apparently they were at the 'on again' phase and he was getting jealous. Wouldn't be long until they went to the 'off again' part of their relationship. Coulson groaned, he really didn't want to have to deal with this as well.

"FRAMED! For doing what?" Leo Fitz called.

"He finally kill someone he shouldn't?" Ward snorted, folding his arms across his chest.

"Is this dangerous?" Mack wondered, feeling a bit out of place with all these actual agents.

"Just let the man finish!" May shouted to the room, wanting to get back to the cockpit as soon as possible. While the Bus was on autopilot, May had no idea if it actually was following the coordinates she had set. This being its technically first flight ever. Once the room went quite again, Coulson nodded his thanks to May before readdressing the room.

"As I was saying, Agent Barton was framed. He was declared MIA by Director Fury and a rouge asset by Assistant Director Jasper Sitwell," Coulson restarted. Before anyone could attempt to speak, Coulson raised his hand to stop them. They silently waited. "Earlier today, a team and I went to Agent Barton's home to find his entire family murdered by Assistant Director Sitwell and a team of agents under his command. Agent Barton has made a claim that these men, including the assistant director, are not true S.H.I.E.L.D agents. Instead they work under the long thought dead Hydra group."

"You can't be serious!" Triplett called. Everyone nodded their agreement but tried not to be vocal with their protests. Coulson completely missed Grant's slightly paled expression even as he nodded in agreement with everyone else. Ward had been warned that Clint might know of Hydra and to be careful but Ward hadn't thought anything of it. The one thing he was glad for was that in each reality he had never met Clint that much and so the archer wouldn't know about him. And only Coulson's team knew about Garrett and first glance told him none of them remembered what happened in the other reality.

"I understand how this sounds but the Director trusts Agent Barton," Coulson explained as if that was the end of the argument about it. No one really seemed convinced other than May and Bobbi who had long standing history with Clint. The rest in the room didn't know Clint as well or already had a distrust of him for whatever reason. Thankfully none of them seemed like they wanted to murder him so Coulson wasn't too concerned, yet. But if they kept acting up, Coulson might be sending some of them back to Fury.

"I would think he'd trust his assistant director more," Leo mumbled. Coulson nodded. He could tell that nearly everyone agreed with this statement. And honestly, so would he. But Clint wouldn't lie about something like this. And the archer had given information to Fury and Coulson that he should and could not have been aware of. Sitwell, his statement was flaky. Something felt off about it from the beginning and after talking it over, both Fury and Coulson found they sided more with Clint's story. No matter how insane it sounded.

"One would assume but Agent Barton has... Has made other claims of events that he does not have clearance to know about," Coulson described as delicately as possible, knowing he was skirting a fine line here. God forbid one of these agents were Hydra and Clint didn't know. Or worse yet, what if they weren't loyal to anyone but themselves and sell the information that Clint had talked about? Some of the group seemed satisfied with that but Grant didn't look convinced.

"Like what?" Grant questioned. Coulson sighed. Of course Grant would be the one who questions it all.

"Confidential," he replied. Grant snorted with a roll of his eyes.

"Of course it is," he hissed. Coulson shook his head. Maybe Grant was a bad choice. "And none of our clearance is high enough to hear about it either, even though Barton knows?"

"Listen, we are here for Agent Barton," Coulson ordered, mentally noting that he'd need to keep an eye on Grant. "We follow whatever he wants to do."

"And what if he is actually a rogue agent who wants to take down S.H.I.E.L.D by claiming half of us as Hydra agents?" Grant inquired. Coulson frowned. He forgot that many people didn't tend to trust Clint. For whatever reason, the archer just seemed to rub people the wrong way. Now Coulson was half tempted to turn the Bus around and drop Grant back off at the Helicarrier. But a quick glance around the room made Coulson aware that Mac, Triplett, Lance, Leo, and Jemma all seemed to be worried about this as well. Well, there went nearly all his team.

"Clint is a good person. There is no way that he'd be taking down S.H.I.E.L.D," Bobbi defended.

"That's just cause you dated the bastard," Lance accused. Bobbi glared at the man and he suddenly jumped. Coulson could only assume that the woman had kicked her other soon to be ex under the table. He nearly smiled at that but held it back at the last second.

"He seemed nice," Jenna Simmons softly vocalized as if her opinion mattered to the rest of the group.

* * *

 **So, not as long a wait this time. I gotta seriously pay attention to days. Being stay-at-home I lose track of if it** **'s Friday or Wednesday so quick.**

 **Little Clint and Little Darius have both been sick since the last chapter posted. Poor Clint somehow got a cut in his ear and has been getting drops. Darius has caught a cold and is rapidly spreading it to the rest of the family. In fact, my head is throbbing as I type. Hubby is working round the clock and yet we still have no money to our name. I half wish I could get paid for writing Fanfiction... Oh well.**

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 **Sammygirl1963 -** I love your reviews so much on this story. Feel bad for making you cry but I was so looking forward to when you read the last chapter. No need to apologize for the wait, I don't mind. Hurricane clean up is more important than reviewing my story, lol. Glad it didn't take too long and hope it didn't hit you too harshly. Most of my family made it through all right as well, just some lost power and branches. I wonder how much you'll enjoy this story as it goes on, lol.


	5. Finding Out The Truth

Outside of the meeting room, Clint could only sigh. While he had been looking up information on why his memory was different from everyone else's, he had gotten a bit bored of it. Well, not really bored. More too upset. So, he went to check on Coulson and the team of agents he was going to be working with. Other than Bobbi Morse, Melinda May, and Coulson, Clint didn't know much about the rest of the team. He had no idea if any of them were Hydra or not. But Coulson seemed to believe that Clint knew of every Hydra agent in the whole world so Clint could only hope that none of the agents in the room with Coulson were.

He was beginning to wish now that his reputation hadn't preceded him. So many agents tended not to trust him. Either he was dangerous and risky or stupid and cocky. No one wanted to believe that he took high risks so other agents on his team wouldn't have too. He watched from above and saw and understood more than many agents. So what may look stupid by him risking his cover to jump off a building to take a shot was actually him taking the only shot to save one or more agents on his team at risk of being killed or seriously injured. He knew what he was doing, knew how to land, how to fight and even how to run and hide. Why waste those talents to save his own self when he could instead use them and save others? It seemed logical to him but not so to many other agents.

Understanding the meeting was beginning to die down, Clint headed back to his room on the Bus with his mind distracted. Stupidly, when he arrived, he left his door open as he looked about the small room. There was a bed on the far side with most of the rest of the room taken up by a small desk and chair. On the other side of the room from the desk was a doorway to an attached bathroom. While he was pleased with the allowance of privacy, Clint was overall not pleased with the room. It was all together half the size of his Helicarrier bunk and not even the size of the closet that Tony had for him in Stark Tower. Slowly, he sunk into the chair and pulled out his hidden laptop. It still had a search function open on it.

He really wasn't in the mood to be chatty with any of the team that Coulson had assembled. Right now, as much as it may bother him, Clint needed to figure out how much his memory differed from this altered reality. He already knew that Natasha being dead was different. And especially the fact that he supposedly killed her. Coulson being alive was another. And S.H.I.E.L.D still being around was a third fact. Oh, never mind that Steve is either still frozen or being hidden by Hydra until they could get rid of him. Or maybe Steve actually died in this reality, Clint had no idea. But either way, there wasn't much Clint could do for Natasha. As for Steve, he wasn't sure what to do about him yet.

Sighing, Clint thought over the rest of the team. Tony Stark had to exist in this reality. There couldn't be a Helicarrier without him as the genius had actually built most of it and designed every part. Bruce Banner should exist as well. But what about Thor? He might sense the difference in this reality. Of anyone, he actually might be the most helpful. Without much hesitation, Clint typed his search into the function open on his laptop. A few seconds passed before Clint was staring in resigned silence at the response. NO RESULTS FOUND. He shouldn't have been surprised.

"Of course. We found the cube when we found Cap... No Cap, no cube. No cube, no Loki..." Clint muttered to himself before a thought crossed his mind. "But wait... Thor came to New Mexico first. His hammer was dropped there... Could S.H.I.E.L.D not have investigated?"

Shaking his head, Clint opened up a different search function that wasn't looking just inside S.H.I.E.L.D files. His search sadly brought up nothing in the S.H.I.E.L.D database on Thor or Mjolnir. But the internet was a different matter. Sadly all that entailed was old myths and legends about Thor, the thunder god and his evil imp of a brother, Loki. Not much like his actual meeting of Thor and Loki. Though some of the stories of the duo were fun to read. Especially ones that lead to Loki's humiliation and or severe punishment. Clint had to admit that sewing the guy's lips shut was a bit too far.

"Well, that was a dead end," he mumbled, depressed that the magical god of thunder was actually only a myth here. Dropping his head onto his desk, Clint thought about the rest of his team. Tony and Bruce. Could either of them help? Well... Maybe it'd be better to bring them together. "Bruce... Where are you hiding?"

Typing in the name, Clint was half surprised that it turned up a result. But he was even more shocked by what that file stated inside it. Bruce never took the military contract that was offered him. He never followed through with gamma research. In fact, he barely graduated college before being accused of stealing another student's science ideas. He was to this day still fighting the effects of it. Bruce also hadn't been allowed to practice science in a few years.

"Who is Bruce Banner?" a voice asked. Clint attempted to not jump out of his skin even as he turned to see his ex-girlfriend Bobbi leaning in his doorway. He snapped his laptop closed in anger which was rather ridiculous as Bobbi was on the team that was supposed to help him and if he was going to be a good team leader, he'd have to inform them of stuff like this. Bobbi snorted, rolling her eyes at the action even though she wasn't wholly surprised with Clint's reaction. That was one of the reasons they didn't work out. Clint was far to secretive for her likes. The archer's eyes narrowed as he went to ask what she wanted. But her next words made him pause. "That a secret lover?"

"Bob," Clint warned, using his old nickname for her. Bobbi held her hands up in defense, recognizing his tone for what it stood for. Clint turned more in his chair to fully face here. She had no right to poke his buttons there. It was far too soon. No matter how okay Clint seemed, he was almost in shock over the loss of his family. In fact, just that comment alone nearly spiraled him into a PTSD moment. Thankfully he was able to stop himself from falling into the memory.

"Sorry, I know. Too soon," she replied, keeping her voice even. Clint frowned. It hadn't even been a day since his entire family was murdered and he had gotten so wrapped up that he didn't even really remember. His face darkened and he spun back around to face the laptop. Bobbi dramatically sighed. She had only been joking in a similar way to what he would have said. Honestly she didn't think it'd be that be a deal. Shaking her head, she looked back to the closed laptop. "So. Gonna tell me who this Bruce Banner is?"

"Someone I knew once," Clint murmured. It was a half truth. He did know Bruce but in this reality he wasn't so sure their paths ever crossed. Bobbi wouldn't know everything about him in the reality... Could she?

"Just like you personally knew the Black Widow?" Bobbi questioned in a tone that Clint knew meant she didn't believe it. No matter how she acted in the meeting room with the rest of the team. She trusted him but it was nothing like the trust that Coulson showed or even lately the other Avengers. Clint frowned and shook his head. "Yeah, Coulson told us."

Clint scoffed. He had assumed as much. While he had listened in, he didn't hear everything that Coulson told the group. He had only joined for the end when Coulson explained that they were protection detail only and to not seek Clint out to bother him about what happened to them. Right now, Bobbi was already breaking that rule. "Would have come out sooner or later."

"Seriously, what's going on?" Bobbi asked, moving into the room to sit on Clint's bed. Clint exhaled deeply as he turned and looked at her again. "I know Coulson didn't tell us everything."

"You wouldn't understand," Clint whispered, turning back away from her. Bobbi slammed her hand down of Clint's desk. Clint glared at her. Almost threatening her with his eyes. She didn't seem fazed. Long ago, she used to back down whenever Clint gave her this look. But once they broke up, it was almost as if the gaze was useless. Not that Clint was surprised, he had once admitted to her that he'd never hurt someone he cared for for he feared if he ever did, he'd turn into his father.

"Bullshit!" she cried, her eyes now daring Clint to lie to her. Clint tossed his laptop aside and jumped to his feet so that he stood over her. Bobbi didn't look worried that he'd hurt her, but she certainly was surprised at his reaction. It was almost like she didn't expect him to attack her. Clint was ready to though. Especially if she kept pushing him like she was. While he still cared for her, right now others that he cared for was in danger and if she wasn't going to help him, she was in his way. And he had warned her, if she had ever gotten in his way of helping someone, he'd take her out, lover or not.

"My family is dead! Killed by a man I last remembered in jail! My friends are either dead, missing or never existed! Everything is different and I don't know why!" Clint shouted at her. There was a tense moment as Clint waited for her to react and Bobbi waited for Clint to elaborate. After the moment was over, Bobbi smiled as if she had learned everything. Clint's gaze hardened, expecting the worst. Bobbi wasn't Natasha. She couldn't have picked up all the secrets that Clint just accidentally let loose. Natasha would have been satisfied but there was no way Bobbi could be.

"Was that so hard to say?" she inquired, tilting her head to the side. That was his last button. She sounded like Natasha. Didn't matter that she wasn't or didn't even look like the red headed assassin, but hearing those words at this moment was the wrong choice. Whether Bobbi knew it or not.

"Get out," Clint hissed. Bobbi's smile dropped into a frown. She had been doing their normal banter. What had changed?

"What?" Clint moved to allow Bobbi passage out of his room. Bobbi didn't move, still confused about the archer. Clint couldn't be that different in this other reality, could he? Her eyes flicked over him, trying to get a read on him. That just made him tenser and close himself off even more.

"Get out."

"Clint," Bobbi tried, now suddenly wanting to apologize for her actions. Clint pointed to the door. Slowly, she stood, watching the archer the whole time. Not once did she see any sign that Clint wasn't completely serious. It was about now that Bobbi realized she pressed too hard and may have made too light of the situation. She had no idea what to do to fix this and even if there was a way. But she knew that she had screwed up, big time. It'd be forever until Clint even looked at her normal again. "Look, I'm sor-"

"Bob," Clint sharply interrupted. Wisely, Bobbi stopped talking. "I don't want to hear it."

"Fine," Bobbi huffed before walking out of the room. She had now turned to being in denial about her actions and was getting pissed off at how he was treating her even though she technically deserved far worse. Once in the hall, she stopped and looked back at Clint. He had turned and watched her leave but didn't stop her. She had a pissed off look on her face now. "This better be worth it and not just some cry for attention cause your family died."

Clint didn't reply. There literally were no words to say back to her. Instead, he smartly just slammed the door closed onto her face. Once alone, Clint sighed deeply before leaning his forehead against the door. Outside he heard Bobbi softly swear at him before stalking off. Grunting, Clint looked back at his laptop. There was only one more team member to look for. Iron Man... For some reason though, Clint already knew that Tony didn't create Iron Man. Or if he did, he wisely didn't announce it. Sighing, Clint looked anyways.

He was right. Tony Stark did exist. Iron Man didn't. Apparently, Tony never went to Afghanistan to do a weapons demonstration with the Jericho missile. Because he wasn't there, Obadiah never had him kidnapped by the Ten Rings. Tony never met Yensin and had to build the arc reactor to survive. And he also never had to build the first Iron Man suit to try and escape.

"Shit," Clint grumbled, dropping his head down onto his desk once again. He had no idea who to contact now. Everyone else he had met in the other reality, he had been introduced too by another Avenger. Without them, there may not have been a way for them to exist as Clint knew them. A minute or more passed as Clint racked his brain for anyone who could help until the silence of the room was ruined by a light tapping on the door. Clint paused to listen to it, suddenly recognizing that it was doing a beat of a song. A song that Coulson used to sing to Cooper and Lila whenever he was over babysitting them and putting them to bed. But it was also a song that Clint had heard Coulson hum when on a tough mission. Whenever Coulson knew Clint was tense and needed rest, Coulson would hum it or even sing it. Clint snorted before getting up and opening the door. Of course, Coulson was standing there looking worried.

"I saw Bobbi stalking down the halls," he said as if that was a question. Clint rolled his eyes and sat back down in the chair. He really didn't want to talk about her right now. His mind was still lost in thought about people who might be able to help him. Coulson took that as an invite to come inside the room. Smartly, he closed the door behind him. "She wanted to know everything?"

"Yeah," Clint muttered, dropping his head gently down onto his desk. Everything seemed clouded in confusion and pain. He may need to take a break. Coulson huffed before sitting down on Clint's bed.

"That bad?" Coulson asked, not understanding the real reason for Clint's distress.

"Who's on the Avenger's Initiative?" Clint countered, not moving his head from the desk. Coulson frowned. Clint wasn't supposed to know about that. Yeah, he had mentioned the Avengers before but Coulson didn't think anything of it. Considering his silence, Clint seemed to understand what was going through the older agent's mind. "It was enacted where I came from."

"We don't really have a name for it. Right now, we got some teenager with spider powers," Coulson started. Clint snorted.

"Parker? Really?" he mumbled, turning his head slightly so he could see Coulson. The older agent nodded, almost not surprised that Clint knew about him. In fact, Coulson was trying really hard to put aside everything he once thought and just go with the flow on this one. "He wasn't on the list. Got added afterwards and even then hasn't been accepted in yet. Steve and Tony both think he might be too young."

"We got a few enhanced," Coulson suggested, knowing that Clint was asking cause he wanted to build a new team. And if Hydra was in fact a reality, it may only be this new team that could take them down.

"Who?"

"Daisy Johnson. Wanda Maximoff. Pietro Maximoff-" Coulson started. Clint's head snapped up. Coulson nearly jumped to his feet at the sudden movement. He did have his hand on his hip where Clint knew his gun was stashed but Coulson relaxed before Clint even thought to comment.

"Pietro's alive?" he called, shocked. Coulson frowned, staring intensely at Clint's face. He hadn't thought of the fact that Clint could have met more people.

"He's dead where you come from?" Clint bit his lip lightly and turned away. Coulson immediately understood. That was Clint's cue that he had been hiding something. Something that Coulson should have picked up on a long time ago. The tense way Clint always was around him. Avoiding full on eye contact. Shocked tones. Coulson had thought all of that was due to the situation but now he could see. "I'm dead too."

"Well... Not sure. I think Fury is just hiding you away... He... Uh... Kinda used your 'death' to get us all to work together," Clint stuttered, still of the belief that Coulson could never actually die. There was a long pause as Clint thought back to that day and Coulson thought about what could have happened. Then Coulson chuckled, making Clint look back at him stunned. It was almost as if the older agent had expected this answer. Clint frowned.

"That's Nick for ya," Coulson laughed, having known that Fury would have done something like that. And knowing how close he was to Clint, he wouldn't be surprised. That had to have meant that Coulson knew everyone on the team as well. So, did he still know them. Clint shook his head at the man which just made Coulson smile more. "Who's on the team?"

"No one from here," Clint mumbled. Coulson gave him an annoyed look that basically told Clint that he wanted to know even if they weren't the same here. Clint exhaled a quick laugh. "Well... Thor, the god of thunder and Prince of Asgard."

"The Norse God? With the hammer?" Coulson questioned, raising his hands in the motion of swinging an imaginary hammer around. Clint laughed and nodded. Considering what the myths told of Thor and Loki, the archer wasn't all that surprised about his handler's question.

"Yeah. Uh... He kinda got in trouble with his Dad. Got him and his hammer banished here where he met some people in New Mexico. He fell in love and then... Something in Asgard happened and suddenly he was being attacked and got his power back just in time. He swore that he'd defend Earth after that. Bout a year goes by and suddenly, his brother, Loki... Well... He comes for revenge or some stupid ass crap. Does a whole deal of damage, the Avengers come together and we defeat him," Clint glossed. Coulson raised an eyebrow knowing that Clint skipped a ton of details on that one. Clint sighed, knowing he wasn't going to fully escape that one. Especially seeing as he still had so many issues with that time and was accidentally dropping lots of cues for Coulson to follow. "I'll... write a report later. I don't want to fully get into it."

"Okay. Who else?" Coulson pressed, knowing that he shouldn't press Clint into revealing more than he wanted too. Clint was on the edge of a cliff and Bobbi already had the archer one step closer. Coulson was determined to get him back away from the dangerous edge, no matter how much Clint tended to prefer the edge due to his sight.

"Uh... Well, the Black Widow..." Clint admitted. Coulson chuckled for a moment before he realized that Clint was telling him the truth. Clint gave him a sidelong gaze, daring him to question the archer on Natasha's recruitment again.

"Oh." Clint nodded.

"In my reality... I questioned the need to kill her. You... You listened to me and we actually recruited her. The three of us... We became STRIKE Team Delta. Nick Fury's best team," Clint softly told the agent. Coulson frowned, trying to remember back to that mission. He hadn't had time to read the report through like Clint and May had. "I read the reports... I think in this reality I was going to question it again but... I was threatened and was forced to cover it up."

"Can you prove it?" Coulson wondered, thinking that this whole thing may be bigger than either man had anticipated. Clint shook his head and Coulson took out his phone to get Fury to look into the mission. Whoever threatened Clint back then may have been Hydra. "Okay. Well, we got a Norse God and the Black Widow and I'm assuming you. That can't be it."

"No... We also had Dr. Bruce Banner," Clint said. Coulson's brow furrowed as he tried to remember if that was an important name or not. Clint shook his head. "He's a no one here. But... He took a military contract. Worked in gamma radiation. Tried to become or even replicate the Super Soldier Program."

"Did he succeed?" Coulson asked when Clint paused. Clint thought about it before chuckling.

"No. Not in the way they wanted. Gamma radiation wasn't the key. There was an accident. Bruce got hit with the stuff and it created an alter ego. We called him Hulk. He was a large green... Well, Rage Machine."

"'Rage Machine'?" Coulson reiterated. Clint nodded.

"Best way to describe Hulk. He came out when Bruce was scared or really angry. Mostly when the military was attacking him in an effort to get him under their control. Bruce was on the Helicarrier when... When Loki was there. It was after that, that he started working with Hulk. We actually learned that Hulk was more of a defense mechanism. Hulk cared for Bruce as much as an actual person. He wanted to protect the man and be friends with us. That's what we were last working on," Clint explained. Coulson just stared at Clint as if the archer had grown another head. Clint chuckled. "Hard to believe, I know... And damn, I wish I had something to prove this but... I don't."

"No... I get it," Coulson soothed. Clint rubbed his hand through his hair and looked away from Coulson. The older agent sighed. "Was that it?"

"Two more members... Well, original members," Clint replied. Coulson waited. After a moment Clint sighed and turned back to the agent. "Steve Rogers and Tony Stark."

"Who and who?" Coulson called back, surprised at the names even though Clint had mentioned Captain America before. Coulson had dreamed that Steve would sudden reappear in this time line but he never expected Steve to still want to fight after the war was far from over. Clint gave him a soft smile as if he could tell why Coulson was so surprised.

"Captain Steven Rogers, unfrozen after 70 years on ice. And Anthony Stark after a disastrous visit to Afghanistan," Clint stated. "I don't know if Cap is still frozen or if in this reality he was found... He may have been found and either died, was killed or is being kept hidden from S.H.I.E.L.D. But I don't know."

"Where?" Coulson softly commanded. Clint stiffened. He had almost forgotten his handler's personal love for the long missing Super Soldier. Honestly, Clint wouldn't be surprised if Coulson demanded they get him or at least check on him.

"Uh... Greenland... 52.956 degrees West. And 72.491 degrees North," Clint recited. Coulson frowned at him making the archer chuckled. "You made me memorize it in case Steve ever asked. Which... He never did."

Coulson nodded before standing up. Clint frowned but did nothing to stop the agent as Coulson left his room and closed the door. The archer sighed. Of course that would be something Coulson would want to work on. For a moment, Clint was tempted to just let Coulson search for Steve but then he realized something. Steve would be coming into a world where he knew no one. S.H.I.E.L.D was starting to fall and the Avengers didn't exist. The poor guy wouldn't be able to help even if they did find him. Groaning, Clint got to his feet and chased after Coulson. He was almost stunned to find Coulson already at the front of the Bus, telling Agent May the new destination.

"No," Clint ordered. Coulson and May turned to look at the archer. "Leave him there. It's... It's better for him."

"But..." Coulson went to argue. Clint shook his head.

"It was hard enough on the poor guy in my reality. No need to bother him now when I barely understand what's going on," Clint muttered. Coulson frowned.

"I'm assuming then that I should continue our first flight path?" May questioned. Clint nodded but May wasn't looking at him. She was focused on Coulson. After a minute, Coulson nodded as well. Feeling her part was done, May turned back to the controls. Coulson turned to Clint but the archer was already walking away. Growling to himself, Coulson turned and followed.

"I'm beginning to think this whole thing is a mistake," Clint muttered. Coulson shook his head and grabbed the agent's shoulder.

"No. We will solve this," Coulson stated. Clint shook his head now, his eyes briefly caught someone walking toward them before shifting to the side. He half wondered if they were still listening but at the same time, he just didn't care anymore. "We can fix this. In your reality, your family is still alive. S.H.I.E.L.D is fine, the Avengers are together..."

"You're dead," Clint shouted. Coulson paused, they had really glossed over that before. But now, seeing the pain and rage in Clint's eyes he knew there was more to his death then Clint first let on. Something bad happened that caused him to die.

"What?" Coulson wondered, trying to get more details on his death than Clint seemed to want to give.

"You're dead. Killed by Loki on the attack on the Helicarrier," Clint snapped sounding more distressed than anything that Coulson had ever heard from the archer before. Coulson frowned before realizing what Clint wasn't saying. The archer didn't know if he wanted to fix this reality now. Either loose his whole family and all his new friends or lose Coulson all over again. "It... It was my fault."

"I refuse to believe that it was actually your fault," Coulson tried to soothe. Clint shook his head.

"When Loki came to Earth he had... Tony calls it his 'Glow Stick of Destiny'. Thor claimed it had some sort of Mind Stone attached to it. I don't really know much about it. Just that one second I was ready to shoot him between the eyes, he pressed the tip against my chest and the next second, I wanted to please him. He was my boss... No, my master. My everything..." Clint described. Coulson silently listened, knowing that he probably didn't tend to talk much about this matter. Clint sighed. "My first job was to get Loki to safety... Fury threatened that safety, so I shot him in the chest. He survived, thankfully. But the New Mexico base was destroyed. We lost 100 people that day."

"Oh," Coulson sighed, seeing Clint truly for the first time. It was now that he could see subtle differences in the archer. Many for the best but some for the worse. Clint nodded, not knowing what was going through Coulson's mind.

"Loki made me create a base. There we worked on some project for him. Day and night. Never resting, never eating. Doing nothing but working. Almost a day later, Loki comes up to me. We have a mission in Germany. While going there, Loki tells me he's going to get captured by S.H.I.E.L.D and I was to be in control. We got what he wanted and he was taken by Natasha, Steve and Tony. At some point they met up with Thor and all arrived at the Helicarrier with Bruce. They were all there for a few hours before... Well... I attacked..."

"You attacked the Helicarrier?" Coulson asked, surprised. Clint nodded.

"Explosive arrow on Engine Four. Then we used the opening from the explosion to get into the Helicarrier. I split up the team and headed into the vents. From there, I snuck toward the bridge. Fury and Hill were distracted by one part of the team so I took my shot. It was an arrow that had a computer drive on it. The file corrupted the system and shut down Engine One."

"Without two engines, the Helicarrier started to fall," Coulson gasped, almost picturing the attack in his mind. He had forgotten what a strategic mind Clint had. Clint nodded. "Was that what?"

"No... Tony and Steve fixed Engine Four. But Loki was getting released from the prisoner cell. I was fighting Natasha and getting cognitive re-calibration," Clint huffed. Coulson gave the archer a confused look. Clint snorted. "She hit me really hard on the head. Broke Loki's control."

"So what happened to me?" Coulson wondered. Clint sighed.

"You went after Loki alone... Loki used his magic to make an apparition of himself and then stabbed you from behind. The... The weapon came through your lungs and just skimmed your heart. Fury said that they called you within a few seconds," Clint mumbled. Coulson frowned.

"Wait, Fury told all of you?" Coulson questioned. Clint now frowned and looked to him. Slowly he nodded. For a moment the duo stared at each other. Then Coulson chuckled. Clint's frown deepened. "I'm not dead."

"What?"

"Fury has a project. T.A.H.I.T.I or something... He found a way to bring people back from near death. It wasn't fully finalized but knowing Nick, he'd certainly use that on me," Coulson laughed. Clint just stared at Coulson in shock. "Knowing Tony Stark, if he's anything like the Tony Stark of this reality... He has major trust issues. And I know you do as well."

"We all kinda do," Clint muttered, thinking back on all the times he still felt his handler was around. Hearing that Coulson was dead was nothing like watching Pietro die, or finding his family murdered. Coulson nodded, not realizing the effect this could have on the archer.

"So, for the best of the team, I'm avoiding all of you," Coulson replied, sounding almost pleased with himself. Clint lightly growled now. Annoyed that he had been beating himself up for so long and the man may actually be alive. "That means, when this is fixed. Don't come looking for me. When the time is right, I'll come back to you."

"I have to go," Clint mumbled before rushing off. He passed by various members of the group that Coulson assembled on his way to his room. Once there, he closed the door with such force that the room shook for a moment. As the vibrations diminished, Clint's rage only increased. He shouldn't be surprised that Fury and Coulson lied to him in the other reality. But he was upset that they did. The knowledge of Coulson's death hit him harder than the other Avengers. Fury never thought to maybe let him know? Give him some sort of sign? Well... Clint had to admit, he knew the truth. If he did know about Coulson, he'd probably go looking for him. A thought crossed his mind before grabbing his laptop and typing in the search function. The results was something that he expected, but didn't mind. "Sokovia."

* * *

 **On time this week, lol. Glad everyone seems to be liking this story.**

 **Little Clint and Little Darius are doing well. Both got over their illnesses and most of the rest are okay as well. I happened to fall the day before and hurt my knees… Hopefully it** **'s just a deep bruise but the x-ray showed something else might be going on. Waiting on more news from that. Not much happened this week other than that. Pretty boring week. Hope everyone enjoys.**

 **REVIEW**

 **Sammygirl1963 -** hee hee. I'm leaving you so confused. I love it but at the same time feel bad, lol. I'm currently editing so far ahead right now that when I got your review I was confused cause I thought I had explained everything but then I realized what chapter you were on and laughed. I half hope your guesses and thoughts are confirmed to be true, but for now, here is the next chapter and hope you continue to enjoy. Also thanks for the thoughts for my family.


	6. Escape

Finding out where the twins were was easy enough. Getting off the Bus without anyone seeing him, not so much. Clint didn't want anyone to come with him or even alert Coulson to what he was doing. At this point, he was pretty much done with everyone on the whole team and he didn't even have personal interaction with half of them. He especially wanted to be far away from Coulson. What the man had said, hurt. Even though Clint had assumed as much, hearing that his reality Coulson was avoiding him, bothered him. Especially hearing it from a man who seemed more pleased that he was alive rather than the fact that their relationship had gone from trusting to non-existence.

Opening his door, Clint could see that Coulson must have warned everyone away from him for the time being. A last bit attempt at the man apologizing cause he realized he took it too far. Clint rolled his eyes. He wouldn't let it work this time. The hallway was silent. Smiling, Clint slipped out of his room and headed for the garage at the back of the Bus. When entering the Bus earlier that day, or was it the day before? Either way, when entering the Bus, Clint noticed a set of cars parked back there. One of them was Lola. Coulson's classic little baby. A classic that Clint knew for a fact had some... Upgrades. Unconsciously, Clint knew he was taking it to get back at Coulson but he could care less at this point.

By the time Clint got near the car, he realized something. Everyone was avoiding him. Either that, or Coulson called another meeting. Well no matter, the archer didn't run into anyone. That was until he was only a room away from the garage. The last room he had to go through was the lab and two people were hard at work analyzing something. Clint couldn't tell what they were working on, not that he really cared. All he knew was that he'd have to slip past them, get in Lola, start her, drop the back and hope that they never see him. Or... Clint confidently walked into the room after stashing his go bag off in an corner. Neither person looked up at him. He stopped and waited for them to notice him. When a few minutes went by, he cleared his throat. Neither looked up. Frowning, he did it again. Still, no response. So, he cleared his throat a third time.

"Really Fitz, get that checked out," the woman hissed, still not looking up from her work. Clint raised an eyebrow. At least he now knew which one was which. Leo huffed.

"I'm healthy as a computer, Jemma," Leo replied, like the woman, not looking up. Clint waited, expecting something to happen but for another minute the duo continued to work away. Then it was like a light bulb clicked. They both stopped working and slowly looked to each other. Clint was far enough back in the room that neither noticed him when they moved. He had a hard time not laughing at their faces.

"If it wasn't you," Jemma started. Leo nodded.

"And it wasn't you," he added. Clint moved to stand behind them but also between them. He leaned forward so they could hear him better. This was the best plan ever, even if it risked Coulson coming down on him, hard.

"It was me," he whispered. In all his life, Clint had never seen two average people move that fast. They were like blurs, rushing to either side of the room even as both of them screamed. Clint chuckled pleased that he actually did this. He didn't regret at all that he didn't just slip by them. "Sorry."

"Jesus... Don't do that!" Leo shouted at Clint. The archer chuckled again.

"What do you want?" Jemma asked, sounding calmer and gentler than Leo. Clint smiled and looked to her.

"Coulson asked for you two," he lied. Leo and Jemma traded looks before nodding and heading off. Why would they question him? It wouldn't be the first time that an agent had been sent for them to speak to the hire-ups. Nor would it likely be the last. Clint was almost surprised at how easy it was to get them out of the lab. Tony and Bruce would have put up a fight. Especially if they were in the middle of something. Hell, Tony would demand that Coulson came to him instead. But Leo and Jemma just left.

"I wonder if it's about the tasers?" Leo guessed. Jemma shook her head.

"I think it's about the data we've been collecting," she theorized. They continued their verbal spar as they left the room. Clint shook his head. Coulson really needed to work on situational awareness. Hell, Coulson also needed to alert his team to Clint's tendency to run. No one even had a chance to come to the garage to stop him. Lola was started and the ramp was down and Clint was flying away before the first person even arrived on the sign. Clint looked back and if his eyesight was normal, he'd never see who was there but he wasn't normal. He could see Agent May standing at the edge of the ramp, holding onto the side of the Bus as she watched the bright red convertible disappear into the night.

* * *

Clint drove/flue the whole day and into the next night. A quick glance at the dashboard of Lola, Clint could see that it had been three days since his family was murdered. Frowning, he wondered where the hell all the time had gone. Thinking about it was hard though cause he always had to start with his family being killed. 1:20 pm... That was when the team infiltrated the Farm. Near an hour later, Clint was lying on his living room floor while his family died around him. Sometime after that... Wait, no... Coulson said at around 3:20, they arrived on scene. So he was only unconscious for an hour. Another hour till the meeting with Fury. That was around 4:20. It wasn't until around 9:40 that they boarded the Bus. Was he really on it all night looking up information on his team? After that time gets fuzzy. Clint couldn't honestly say what happened. But somehow he didn't take Lola until noon-ish. Now it was 8 in the morning on the Farm's time. According to where he was, Clint couldn't even begin to guess the time.

"Shit," Clint muttered. He needed to rest soon. Looking about, Clint could tell that he was halfway to Sokovia. Apparently the Bus had actually been heading toward New York and not California like the archer had first thought. That meant he had flown in the wrong direction... Sighing, Clint headed down for a landing on some distance and abandoned road. Then he began driving the car till he reached a town. The sign was in Chinese and while Clint could speak some Chinese, he couldn't read or write it to save his life. Thankfully it was a rather prosperous town in China and that meant there were some hotels that Clint could recognize.

Forty minutes later, Clint had a room for the night, a meal on the way thanks to room service, and internet for the laptop he had stolen from his room on the Bus. Didn't take him long to once again check on the twins. They hadn't moved since the last time he looked for which he was thankful. Considering he was waiting for his meal, Clint couldn't do much other than watch TV or surf the internet. So, Clint surfed the internet a bit more. He wanted to learn a bit more about the members of his team. How did things get so different? What changed in this world?

He started with Bruce. The poor guy had barely graduated before someone claimed Banner had stolen their theory and research. Even if it was true or not, Bruce's career was ruined by even the presumption that he did. Bruce spent the past... God knows how many years trying to get his reputation back but whenever it looked like he was succeeding, something came out. Like, he was a monster to work with, he stole the ideas of his interns to spin as his own, he sexually harassed interns and so on. Bruce was so busy with court cases that the poor guy only published a quarter of the work he had done in Clint's reality. And even then, other scientists had disputed every one of his theories. Didn't matter if the other scientists were wrong or not, Banner didn't have a good enough name for anyone to really believe his work.

While he felt bad for the guy, Bruce may actually be having a better life here. He wasn't a man who could turn into a green 'beast' when his pulse got too high. Instead, he was just fighting for his life in the science culture. Bruce could easily move down a different path if he so chose to. He had options here. So it wouldn't be good to bother him with the alternate reality. Though his help would have been greatly appreciated. Sighing, Clint moved onto Tony.

Tony Stark was much the same in this reality as he was in the other one. A billionaire, philanthropist, and overall player. Clint sighed. From what he could see, Tony did much the same things here that he did in the other reality other than building Iron Man and getting rid of the weapon section of Stark Industries. But... What made Tony get rid of the weapons? Afghanistan. Looking deeper, Clint found that Tony left most of the company in Virginia Pepper Potts's hands. But there was a small (and grower larger by the day) area that Obadiah Stane ran. That was the weapons and military contracts.

"Fuck," Clint cussed remembering that Obadiah was the one who sent Tony to Afghanistan with the Jericho missile. Digging around a bit more, Clint found that Obadiah actually convinced Tony to stay behind. The display went off without a hitch but there was a small notation of a missing shipment on a few boxes. Tony never caught it and Pepper tried to question it but Obadiah buried it. For a minute, Clint wondered if he should do something. But, what could he do?

Tony didn't know him. Obadiah was like a father to Tony. The man's betrayal ran deep in Tony no matter how much the genius tried to hide it. As much as it sucked that Obadiah was a no good snake who was illegally selling Stark Industries weapons to the world's enemies, Tony was almost better off. The only ones who seemed to be hurt by what Obadiah was doing was S.H.I.E.L.D and basically every government agency that shortened their names to letters. Tony wouldn't want to change his life for what seemed to be the worse just to make everyone else's life easier. Well, maybe he would but the genius wouldn't be able to help Clint. Tony would be too busy trying to fix his then scattered life.

Clint was interrupted from his thoughts by a knocking on his door. Closing the internet down, Clint got up and headed to the door even as there was a second set of knocking. He paused. No one had called out yet. Room service normally announced themselves. Slowly he backed away, glancing at the door quickly to make sure that all the locks were done. They were and he was thankful they were when suddenly there was a loud crashing as someone tried to break it open. Clint rushed back into the bedroom and tossed the laptop roughly into his bag before stopping. The laptop. It was the only thing S.H.I.E.L.D could have traced. No... Not S.H.I.E.L.D, Hydra.

"Shit," he muttered, removing the laptop and tossing it across the room. It landed with a heavy thunk near the door. Clint mentally cursed his stupidity. The banging outside paused for a moment.

"Someone's in there. Hurry up!" a voice snapped outside the door. Clint shook his head before grabbing the bag and heading to the bathroom. He had scouted this place out earlier and knew that while the living room window had access to the fire escape on the side of the building, the bathroom window was right next to the illuminated sign for the hotel.

Smartly, Clint did a quick scan of the nearby buildings for a lookout for the men trying to enter his room. No one seemed to be in close sight line but that didn't mean there wasn't someone out there watching them. Slowly and carefully, he opened the bathroom window before tossing his bag out. Clint knew that there was nothing that would break or accidentally explode in the bag if it landed roughly, and he also knew there was a collection of bushes just below the sign that could break the bag's fall and conceal it from passer-bys.

Glad that that was over, Clint jumped up onto the sink before wiggling himself out the window. He was halfway out when he heard the door crash open behind him. Clint paused as he thought about what they'd do. They'd search the whole place first then assume he had either gone down or up the fire escape. Smiling, Clint shook his head and slipped out the rest of the way. He had just enough time to close the window from the outside and back away from it before someone came into the room to look around. Without another thought to the men hunting him, Clint slipped down the sign and dropped into the bushes. He heard something crack and prayed it was a branch but when he got up and reached for his bag, he realized something was wrong with his shoulder.

"Shit..." Clint muttered again before switching hands and grabbing the bag. Then he continued on his way to Lola. Hiding his injury from other people was as easy as his escape from... Well, actually from S.H.I.E.L.D. He paused. This was too easy. Hydra was trained, just like S.H.I.E.L.D, that meant Coulson was telling everyone to back off. He sighed. Turning around, the archer spotted her first. Bobbi Morse was trying hard to blend into a crowd of coffee shop people and doing a pretty crappy job at it. In fact, so bad a job that she didn't even notice Clint had spotted her. Lance Hunter, just as obvious and oblivious, wasn't much further away from her. Clint shook his head and walked a bit further to the car. He wasn't shocked to see Melinda May was standing next to Lola but noticeably not touching her. Clint sighed when she looked up at him and nodded a greeting. "I can't do this with you hanging over me."

"We're only protection," Coulson replied, suddenly standing beside Clint. It was the one thing about Coulson that he couldn't stand and missed so dearly. Only Coulson could ever sneak up on the archer. It was actually scary how often Coulson used it to his advantage. Clint scoffed and looked to the older agent as if he had known the man was following him the entire time. Though his comment could have been considered for Coulson or for May.

"When have I ever needed protection?"

"Bangladesh, Baghdad, Iran, Ukraine-" Coulson began listing. Clint snorted and shook his head, fighting the urge to make a scene by punching his handler.

"Those were never protection," Clint argued. Coulson raised an eyebrow and Clint knew he had to elaborate. The archer thought about it before finishing. "Those were... Heated extractions?"

"Sure," Coulson chuckled. Clint shook his head knowing that Coulson wasn't the only one chuckling. May had been on numerous extractions for the archer and clearly understood how 'heated' they got. "I promise. We'll stay in the background."

"Coulson, I can't," Clint muttered out, trying to voice his feelings without saying anything. Coulson frowned, not understanding what was going on with his agent and once best friend. "I can't have you around me."

"Why?" Coulson pressed. Clint shook his head again. Coulson laid a hand on Clint's shoulder. Clint shook it off and stepped away. If the archer looked up, he would have caught the fleeting look of hurt on Coulson's face before it vanished.

"I can't."

"Clint?" Clint turned and started walking away. May stepped forward to chase after him but Coulson held out a hand to stop her. "Clint!"

"No! Just stop!" Clint snapped, spinning back around to face Coulson. Time suddenly seemed to slow as Coulson's face contorted into confusion before horror. His mouth began forming the archer's name even as pain suddenly sliced through Clint's good shoulder. His bag dropped from his useless hand as blood sprayed the sidewalk. Clint blinked, looking at the injury before realizing he was just shot. "Fuck."

* * *

Clint woke up some time later on his bed on the Bus. He sighed deeply before realizing he didn't feel any pain from the gunshot wound earlier. Slowly, he lifted himself up and looked at where the wound should have been. There was nothing but smooth skin. Clint frowned.

"Fury hired a woman a few months ago. She had this device-" Coulson started explaining. Clint didn't even flinch at the man's voice even though he hadn't noticed that the older agent was in the room with him.

"Was it Helen Cho?" Clint whispered, surprisingly recognizing the work done on him. Coulson didn't respond and it made Clint look at him to see the incredulous look still on his face. "She... She worked for Tony in my reality. He made her our doctor so that she had great test subjects and the best and the worst of real life situations to put her work to the test."

"I should be surprised, shouldn't I?" Coulson joked, trying to keep his tone light even though he was still surprised with the information Clint suddenly spouted. Clint shook his head and moved to sit up. Coulson jerked forward to pressure him into laying back down as this was one of the first real life tests of Dr. Cho's machine in this reality. But Clint was used to it and just pushed past his handler. He was a little shocked to find barely any resistance from Coulson but wasn't going to comment on it.

"Be whatever you want," Clint hissed, trying to ignore the disappointment and betrayal from the man that technically didn't betray him. Coulson shook his head and stood up. The agent was getting the idea of how unwanted he was. Besides, he had a meeting with Fury over the injury Clint sustained from some S.H.I.E.L.D agents... Or maybe they were Hydra. But how was Clint traced?

"Just so you know. We're landing just outside of Sokovia within the hour," Coulson said even as he walked out of the room, figuring Clint would want to know. Clint groaned and waited until Coulson was fully in the hall before responding.

"Thanks," he mumbled. Coulson nodded but continued to walk away, trying to hide the hurt and disappointment he felt from the archer's rejection. Clint moaned before dropping back down onto his bed. He messed this up. Royally messed it all up. Sighing deeply, Clint sat up and got to his feet. If anything, he should head down to the garage so that he had easy access to leave. Like before, Clint got all the way down to the garage before he ran into anyone. Leo Fitz and Jemma Simmons were working on some project in the lab that sat just before the garage. It was like before. Clint shook his head. At least this time he wasn't sneaking around. He walked in, making sure to make some amount of noise. Neither scientist looked up or even seem to have heard him. He smirked. "Someone needs to work on your situational awareness."

Jemma squeaked and jumped, quickly snapping her head up to stare at Clint in surprise. Leo dropped whatever he was working on onto the floor before spinning around to face Clint as well. Seeing that they weren't in any eminent danger, both sighed. Jemma shook her head and looked back down at her work while Leo groaned.

"Don't do that," he moaned even as he looked at the item he dropped. Clint chuckled.

"If you had more situational awareness my appearance and speaking wouldn't have bothered you," Clint commented. Leo looked up at him.

"We aren't soldiers or field agents. We're scientists," Fitz replied. Clint nodded before pointedly looking around. Leo frowned and looked around with him as if the archer was already testing him.

"I'm sorry but this doesn't look like any HQ I know of. I'd say, you two are field agents now," Clint retorted, facing Leo once again. Leo's frown deepened as if he hadn't thought about that before. Jemma stopped her project.

"We are not field agents as long as this counts as a type of HQ. We will not be leaving it," she countered. Clint smirked even as Jemma shook her head. "If you're going to be bothering us, might as well make yourself useful."

"Useful?" Clint asked, surprised. Jemma nodded before leaving her work station to go to a second area. She pulled a few things from it before walking toward Clint with them. Clint raised an eyebrow at her and the items she had grabbed. Some of it he could recognize but there were some things that he could tell must have been made by the duo cause he could not tell what they'd be used for.

"We can do the testing that Coulson has been putting off," she mentioned, knowing full well what Coulson and even Fury thought of the testing the duo wanted to perform. Clint's eyebrow went even higher as Jemma took out a needle and multiple vials. He could tell that she wanted to draw blood but by the amount of vials she had grabbed, he'd be drained dry.

"Testing?" he wondered, paling slightly. He had never been all that great with needles. Jemma smiled before putting some of the items down. Leo then began grabbing a few more things and coming over as well. Clint noted that he had a rather large smile on his face and he wondered if their 'testing' would hurt or not. "What kind of testing?"

"Just a few simple tests," Leo vaguely answered. Jemma snorted, understanding that Leo was using this as revenge against the agent. Clint's eyebrow dropped and he stepped away from the two even as he realized he had allowed them to surround him. "Nothing... Too harmful."

"Fitz! Simmons!" Coulson suddenly barked, appearing in the doorway to the lab. Jemma and Leo jumped in surprise before turning to face him. Clint stiffened to stand at attention, used to that voice commanding him to do something. Coulson didn't even glance in the archer's direction as he entered the lab. He needed to play this section carefully. Coulson knew there was an order to have Clint tested, but he didn't want it done now and certainly didn't want Clint to know about it. "I have spoken with you about this before. We are not testing a fellow agent without direct orders."

"I don't think you'd allow us to even with direct orders, sir," Jemma stated in a joking tone though her words sounded rather threatening and challenging. Coulson raised an eyebrow at her with an angry glare that made her shrink down and step away from the items she had gathered to 'test' Clint out. Seeing as she was stepping away, Coulson looked to Leo, who was still standing near the items. He half wondered if they would say that Fury had given them the orders, even though Fury said they weren't to act upon it until Coulson said it was okay.

"These tests are important, sir," Leo argued though the man did look slightly frightened. Coulson shook his head, trying to make Leo back down. Leo stood up further, almost like he was trying to make himself look larger. Clint nearly laughed but was still stuck at attention from Coulson's first command. "We need to examine him to determine how this event happened."

"No. You're saying you don't trust one of the highest performing agents within S.H.I.E.L.D," Coulson accused, knowing that that would be how Clint would feel once he learns that Fury gave the order and Coulson agreed with it's need. Leo winced and looked like he was going to back down but didn't.

"It's procedure, sir. No matter who the person may be," Leo said. Coulson frowned as Clint glanced over at Leo, finally fighting his desire to listen closely to Coulson.

"Since when is there procedure for alternate realities?" the archer questioned. There hadn't been any strange procedures for things before the events of Manhattan in his reality. Was this reality different enough to have these types of procedures before the events take place?

"Never," Coulson commented, speaking to Clint for the first time. He turned back to Jemma and Leo with a glare. After everything that had happened since his talk with Fury a few days before, Coulson realized that testing Clint may be more of a hindrance then helpful. Something about the way Clint spoke or acted just made Coulson know that they'd never solve this issue. It was all up to Clint. "Now please. Work on something else. I will not allow testing to be done on any agent of S.H.I.E.L.D."

With that said, Coulson walked toward Clint with a nod to the garage. Clint took the hint and began to follow after him. They got into the garage but the door behind them didn't close fully. Leo looked back to Jemma even as she began cleaning up the mess that had gathered.

"Are we even sure he's an agent of S.H.I.E.L.D in the other reality? For all we know he's leading us on a wild goose chase in an effort to destroy S.H.I.E.L.D," Leo growled to her. Clint winced, used to those types of hateful words since Loki took over his mind but not expecting them here since Loki didn't happen. Coulson, while not facing Clint or even near enough to touch the archer, seemed to sense Clint's pain and angst.

"Ignore them," Coulson suggested as they walked toward Lola. Clint looked to the older agent. "Fury tasked them with finding out how much of our reality was affected and if there was anything we could do to fix it. Them seem to have it in their minds that by performing some crazy tests on you, they'd get a better idea of what to look for. I don't believe that to be true and neither will he."

"But, that does sound promising," Clint mentioned, realizing that much of what was going on involved him and the Avengers. Coulson nodded. While it was true that it was promising, neither Fury nor Coulson wanted to treat Clint like he was a common criminal. The archer did have the ability to disappear and then no one would be able to help or stop Clint if needed. By watching over the archer, Coulson was not only protecting him from Hydra but also protecting S.H.I.E.L.D from a possibly worse reality.

"It's getting harder and harder to find excuses as to why they can't," Coulson sighed. Clint huffed, trying to relieve some anxiety. It didn't work. Clint tensed a bit more and glanced back at the duo. Leo and Jemma were already lost in their own little worlds again. Mentally, Clint noted that he probably shouldn't come down by the lab anymore. And he certainly shouldn't draw attention to his presence if they don't notice it. "Anyways. The Maximoffs seem to be expecting us. They're waiting just outside the landing zone."

* * *

 **On time again! Whoot!**

 **Little Clint and Little Darius are doing well. Both have been rather stubborn this week but I** **'ve been busy dealing with training our dog so haven't really been fighting them about it. Right now really tired and wanting to get to bed soooo…**

 **Follower: lovesanimals**

 **Review:**

 **Sammygirl1963 -** hee hee, if only brainwash or mind control. But don't wanna spoil too much. Yeah, I don't like Bobbi much in the comics and when I saw her on the TV show Agents of SHIELD I was kinda like ehh… I most likely didn't portray her properly but, don't care. Needed to make Clint feel uncomfortable around the others. And you honestly didn't think I'd let Phil stay dead. I may be trying to follow on the edges of the MCU, but I'm also trying to inject the TV series as well. No matter how much either set suddenly throws me for a loop and I have to fix something, lol. My knee seems to be fine so far. Pain wore off, just a giant bruise and a bump, but I can walk normally. Gonna get it checked again at a later date by my primary care doc. Thank you for the praise but honestly I don't feel like that good of a writer. Maybe average or below average. More below… But glad you enjoy it, that makes me feel great. See you next time!


	7. The Twins

Indeed, Wanda and Pietro were waiting for the Bus to fully land. Pietro shifted uncomfortably on his feet, glancing to the Bus and back to his sister in anxiety. Wanda, just focused dead ahead, not even caring. Once the back door was down, a silver blur rushed forward and suddenly, the twins stood before Clint and Coulson on the ramp way. Clint smirked at Wanda in a familiar way but she didn't return the gaze. Instead she mostly focused on Coulson. Amazingly, Clint felt a bit of hurt flash through him before he realized he shouldn't blame her.

"Welcome," Coulson greeted, ignoring the fact that the twins already seemed to know who they were. He started on a whole speech that Clint was pretty certain the man prepared in front of a mirror a few times. Clint ignored it and looked to Pietro only to feel the clench in his heart that meant he was feeling extreme guilt. While the archer had been expecting this type of reaction, actually seeing Pietro alive was worse than he had imagined. He had almost forgotten then about Wanda's ability and allowed his grief to briefly overwhelm his mind. It was broken by Wanda finally turning her gaze onto him.

"I don't blame you," Wanda stated, interrupting Coulson's train of thoughts and words. The older agent turned to Clint in surprise, wondering what the female meant. Clint winced, turning back to Wanda. He hadn't thought about what she would think of Clint wanting to return to a world without Pietro in it. This was something he should have thought of before asking them to help him. She gave him a soft smile. "I understand."

"You know what's going to happen if we fix this," Clint warned, wanting to make sure the teens understood perfectly what they were getting into. Mostly the warning was for Pietro. He would basically cease to exist. Wanda nodded, her face showing absolute certainty that this was the right decision. Pietro glanced between the two before nodding as well. Clint frowned and focused more on Pietro than Wanda. "And you still want to help me?"

"I feel like I need to," Wanda replied as if those words were meant only for her. Clint sighed. He almost wished he could talk to Pietro alone... But then what would he say to the boy? Maybe having Wanda as buffer was best. She seemed to calm both men.

"I wouldn't let her fight for me," Pietro commented. Coulson frowned at Clint. The archer hadn't told him everything as Coulson had assumed that he'd done. Apparently, Coulson was going to need to chat with the archer later and get more details... Even if it means pressing the agent into a corner. "As much as it isn't cool, I at least die doing something good."

"I wish there was a way I could fix it," Clint muttered, ignoring Coulson as much as possible. The archer was still hurt that apparently the man was alive in the other reality. And that was something he was going to fix. He'd find the agent and make him face the other Avengers. No matter how hard it was on the group, Clint was not going to lie to them like Fury, Hill and Coulson have already felt free to do. Pietro shook his head with a sad smile.

"Way I see it, old man. It was one of the two of us. And I'd rather it be you," Pietro answered. Clint grunted, hiding the hurt that those words caused. He had never seen himself as someone good. Or even as someone worth saving. "Wanda told me what you're like. You're a pretty good guy. A... A hero."

Clint scoffed, thinking on all the bad things he had done. The people he had murdered for money before S.H.I.E.L.D got a hold of him. His time the circus where he was taught how to pick pockets and swindle with the best. How could he be a hero... To anyone. Coulson clapped a hand on Clint's shoulder, bringing the archer out of his dark thoughts. Clint winced but didn't immediately pull away. A sign to Coulson that he was being forgiven. But really, Clint just was too emotionally tired out. He was almost shutting down. Having Coulson and Pietro before him, two people he had once thought he killed, was actually worse then he imagined.

"As I understand it, you two can be of assistance in fixing this mess of realities?" Coulson asked, bringing the conversation back around to his introduction. Wanda turned to Coulson. The first that she had reacted to anyone else there.

"I am unsure of how much help we could be. But yes, I think we can be of help," Wanda said. Clint looked at her for a moment as Coulson began explaining what happens on the Bus and what he thinks the mission entails. He tuned the older agent out before suddenly remembering all of Wanda's powers.

' _Wanda. I need your help,_ ' he mentally called out to the girl. Wanda stiffened slightly but didn't otherwise betray that she heard him. Clint almost smiled at her. Even as untrained as she was in this reality, she was smart. ' _I need to get away from Coulson and his rag tag group. They claim they're here to help but I can't be certain._ ' Clint explained, briefly thinking back to his stint in the hotel and coming here. He couldn't really be certain it was the laptop that brought those agents down on him. Nor could he be certain who actually was Hydra. Wanda nodded at something Coulson told her but Clint knew it was more for his sake than Coulson's. She hadn't been doing much in replying to Coulson before. Pietro had taken over that matter. ' _Hydra is the group behind this and I'm going to need the team to bring them down._ '

' _There is no team in this reality,_ ' Wanda mentally pointed out back to the archer. Clint couldn't stop the smirk now. His mind pictured a few of the super powered individuals he had seen in S.H.I.E.L.D files. Wanda sighed, her eyes flickering to the archer with a slight look of disgust. ' _You sure this isn't going to be a rag tag team?_ '

Clint couldn't stop the chuckle that escaped him. Coulson gave the archer an odd look before something like understanding dawned on his face. Clint didn't even have to think anything. In a split second, there was a silver blur and then Clint was god knows how far away from the Bus and Coulson. A moment later, Wanda stood there with Pietro right next to her. The silver haired boy was breathing heavily.

"Old man, you need to lose some weight before I ever do that again," the super fast teen huffed. Clint snorted, enjoying the long missed banter that was so short lived before.

"My weight is good training for you, kid," he sarcastically declared. Pietro huffed out a laugh before straightening looking as if he wasn't even out of breath or tired. None of what he had been showing only a second before. Clint frowned. "Sides, apparently you recover fast."

"Depending on how much he exerts," Wanda mentioned, thinking back on the training they had gotten long before. For a moment Clint remembered his reality. In his mind, the twins had gotten their powers from Hydra. They might not have had any before. But in the reality... He couldn't be fully certain how they got their powers. Sadly, he needed to trust someone and it might as well be these two. Especially since they're willing to help given what would happen to one of them.

"Wanda!" Pietro whined like she had spilled a secret. Wanda shook her head at her older brother.

"No. He needs to know if we're going to be working together," she smartly pointed out.

"But-" Pietro began but was cut off when Wanda turned an angry glare at him. For a moment, the two traded looks before Pietro sagged. "Fine."

"Wow... So that's what everyone meant by it seemed creepy," Clint softly joked, looking between the twins while thinking of Natasha. Being part of the silently talking group, Clint had never seen people communicate with just facial expressions. With Wanda, while it was different as she could mentally speak to Pietro, they reacted with twitches that seemed like they were talking that way.

"So, we'll help you," Wanda began, switching back to the original subject to avoid the discussion that was silently lurking on Clint's mind. Clint nodded, the errant thought of the twins receiving their powers from Hydra receding. "But... If we find out what did this, can I request that you find a way to bring Pietro back? Or... At least take care of the other me? I may look like I'm fine but I'm far from it. Pietro is my only family. To lose him hurts."

"Hey, I'm still here," Pietro soothed, wrapping his arms around his sister. Wanda nodded even as she fell deeper into his arms to sob. Clint awkwardly stood there for a moment as he watched the twins grieve one of them from another reality. It was now that the archer realized how much harder it would be to stay with the twins then it would have been with Coulson. He was in essence, trading his family's life for Pietro. And while he had once thought it would have been Coulson who died as well, Clint now knew that the older agent was alive and just avoiding him in his reality. Pietro looked up at Clint and seemed to understand what the archer was thinking. "I'm willing to give myself up for this."

"I'm sorry," Clint whispered, already feeling horribly guilty for asking these two to do what they were about to do. Wanda pushed herself out of Pietro's arms and headed over to Clint.

"While it hurts to have to lose Pietro, I can see that your reality is far better than ours. The world, although it does not seem like it, needs the Avengers," Wanda told him. Clint nodded and smiled at the twins as the air around them was suddenly filled with the rumblings of an engine. Everyone turned in the direction it sounded like it was coming from. Clint had to smile when Wanda needlessly stated who was coming. "It's Coulson."

"Figured," Clint confirmed but he didn't move. Pietro shifted his weight restlessly as if he was actually more bothered about being around Coulson. Wanda kept glancing between Clint and the direction that Coulson was apparently coming from. She could sense that Clint felt betrayed by the man and that the archer was unsure exactly what to feel about the man. Clint focused solidly on the way that Coulson was coming from. When the Quinjet appeared overhead, Clint, Wanda, and Pietro backed away to give it room to land. Once it landed, the back was already halfway down so Clint could see Coulson angrily waiting with Grant Ward standing beside him. May was in the cockpit doing last minute shut down procedures. Clint smiled at Coulson as the ramp fully lowered and the older agent stepped off the jet.

"Agent Barton, we are here to protect you. If you keep running off, we can't do our jobs," Grant snapped as he followed behind Coulson. Clint didn't even glance at the man. Wanda stiffened suddenly and grasped Pietro's hand but didn't speak. For a moment, Clint wanted to look at Wanda but figured whatever she saw or heard from someone was something really bad. He'd have to wait until she could tell him.

"Clint. We can be transportation for you," Coulson suggested before waving his hand toward the jet. Clint glanced it over even as May began her way back to them. She stopped before descending the ramp.

"Coulson," Clint started but stopped. He couldn't find any more reason to argue with the older man. While it bothered him to be around Coulson due to what he represented, it was actually harder to be around Pietro. Slowly he nodded before looking to Wanda. ' _Any arguments?_ '

' _Not really,_ ' she replied hesitantly. Clint frowned slightly but covered it before looking to Coulson and Grant. She had something but for some reason, Coulson, Grant or May was throwing her. Clint figured it was Coulson. And May was a good agent. Never had any issues with her. But Grant was an unknown.

"Where are we going next?" Coulson asked. Clint sighed deeply.

"I guess to New York," he mumbled. Most of the other people he wanted all seem congested into that big city. Coulson nodded and turned to re-board the Quinjet. Grant waited only for Clint to move one step before spinning around and following after. Wanda and Pietro slowly followed after Clint, lost in mental conversation. May grunted at the group before turning back to restart the jet. Clint glanced at Wanda, wondering what keeping her from telling him what she got from Grant. He wasn't going to question her yet, but he'd like to know soon.

The ride back to the Bus was quiet. Clint sat as far from Coulson as possible. Coulson, as if sensing Clint's issue, sat beside May in the cockpit. Wanda and Pietro huddled in a corner opposite Clint in soft conversation. Grant sat in the seat right behind Coulson while he turned and glared at Clint. When the jet landed on the Bus, Clint was first to disembark. He said nothing to Wanda and Pietro as he hurried off to the room that had been given to him. Wanda traded a look with Coulson to see the man's hurt expression before the agent looked to the twins.

"We'll set you two up in room right near Clint, if you'd like," he suggested. Wanda nodded, already knowing that that room would be far from Grant's room. Together the three walked off. Grant took one last look at the group before going in the opposite direction. May busied herself with shutting down the jet and heading off to ready the Bus to take off with an angry shake of her head. Why Coulson hadn't gotten another pilot for this, she'd never know. And even worse, why Clint didn't pilot, she was almost afraid to question. Was he actually never taught in the other reality? Would it hurt to hear that he did know? May shook her head and just continued on with her tasks.

* * *

Wanda waited until after Coulson finished with the tour of the Bus and left before turning to Pietro. The silver haired teen was happily bouncing on the bed in their shared room. She knew that he was enjoying the comforts of the Bus and while she was also enjoying this, her powers alerted her to the dangers lurking around. One of those main dangers was Grant Ward. And she also knew that no one else knew about him.

"There is a Hydra agent here," Wanda mentioned to her brother. Pietro's bouncing slowed to a stop as the words settled over him. She had warned him that they'd talk in private and no matter how much he tried to press, she refused to answer.

"Is he looking for us?" the speedster asked. Wanda thought about it. She hadn't sensed anything from Grant other than his obsession with Clint. But that didn't mean he wasn't hiding it below the surface or was trained to hide that fact from her.

"I don't think so," she cautioned. Pietro frowned and looked about the room. He was doing it at a normal pace which meant he was carefully looking for something. Wanda could tell he was searching for cameras or mics, or overall spy equipment. Why he was bothering considering the fact that they were basically on a spy ship, Wanda wouldn't question. She knew he felt safer doing that.

"Do you think he knows?" Pietro questioned. Wanda again shrugged. There wasn't much she was able to pick up from Grant before she got distracted by all the emotions of everyone. And no matter how hard she tried now, she just couldn't find Grant in all the unknown minds of everyone on the Bus. "I thought we took care of them all."

"We took care of the ones in the buildings with us but Stryker did say there was more of them," Wanda reminded. Pietro nodded, remembering the ominous warning from the dying man. Wanda shuddered as the scene reenacted itself in her own mind. Pietro shifted, understanding that Wanda was flashing back to the moment. He worried about her. She had taken the news much harder than he did.

"Should we warn the old man?" Pietro wondered, the name of the man escaping him. Wanda chuckled at her forgetful brother. The memories of Stryker fading faster than either twin had thought before. "I... I know we should trust him but I don't know if I can. We also thought we could trust Hydra."

"Hydra tricked us. Our powers were so new back then that I had no idea what I was hearing or from who," Wanda mentioned. Pietro nodded. Back then he kept speeding away for a few steps before becoming so tired. Hydra promised them better control. What they forgot to mention was the experiments and tests and overall enhancing of their powers. It took the speedster far longer to get used to his new ability then it did Wanda. And if Wanda hadn't been there to mentally coach him along, Pietro didn't think he'd have made it through. "Clint is a good man. A little lost, but good."

"Can you be certain? I mean... I know we agreed to help him but he's kind-a willing to kill me in order to save his family," Pietro pointed out. It had been mentioned once or twice but neither really thought about it. Wanda frowned. She hadn't put it that way even though Clint had mentioned it during their meeting. Pietro had so calmly replied to the archer that Wanda didn't even realize that this bothered her brother. The witch mentally cursed herself even as she moved to sit on the bed next to her brother.

"Do you want to change your mind?" she softly questioned. Pietro shook his head no. Wanda saw something flash through his mind but it vanished before she could get a proper hold on it. After so long of being invaded by Wanda, Pietro learned to feel when she was searching his mind. She no longer did it, but did catch fleeting emotions or thoughts that bubbled up on the surface. Pietro knew that Wanda couldn't fully help herself when these things came to him so he tried to erase it as fast as possible.

"I've... I've dreamed of another life. One like you mentioned... One with a group of superheroes going around protecting people," Pietro admitted. Wanda frowned. She hadn't known that. Pietro and her share everything with each other. Why didn't he share this? Pietro shrugged, almost as if he could read her own thoughts. "It's only happened within the last week or so."

"About the time that I sensed a change?" Wanda mumbled. Pietro nodded. Indeed, at the same time that Clint had tripped down his staircase in the farm, many miles away, Wanda had sensed something happened to this world. It felt off and she spent the past few days trying to find out what it was. She was so distracted with all that that Pietro refused to bother her with something as silly as dreams. But as the details became clearer and matched so well with what Wanda was seeing, Pietro couldn't help but feel that he should give his life for this other world. "I'm sorry."

"Hey, it's not your fault," Pietro soothed, nudging her shoulder to keep her from feeling guilty. Wanda sighed. While the change was not her fault, it was her fault for getting lost in trying to figure out what it was and how to fix it. She had barely spoken to him until she finally learned enough about Clint to defend the need to help him. Honestly, Wanda should have realized how easy it was to make Pietro cave into helping in the first place.

"Oh Pietro," Wanda moaned, leaning into her brother. Pietro shifted so he could wrap an arm around her. "I'm sorry. I'm so sorry."

"Again, sis, it ain't your fault," Pietro grunted. Wanda nodded as she turned her face into his chest. "We'll figure out how to fix this."

For a while the twins sat together in this hug, just enjoying each other's company. Wanda couldn't help but think of her alternate self missing out on this for the rest of her life. It upset her worse the more she thought about it but she also knew that her alternate self had other friends. Pietro tried to keep his mind away from any thoughts but it kept coming back to his dreams. Many of which actually included the archer and him fighting side by side in battles unlike what Wanda described his death battle to be like, made the speedster curious. The silence was suddenly broken by Wanda. "I think Clint knows how to... Fix this."

Pietro nodded. He had assumed as much. The archer may not know that he knows but there was just something about him. Somehow both twins could just tell that Clint knew what to do and how to do it. And right now, one of the main things they probably needed to work on was getting away from Coulson and his infiltrated crew. But Wanda knew how Clint had tried and already failed. Could they really do this? The twins dropped into silence for only a minute before it was broken.

"I thought Coulson said no to this!" Clint's voice bellowed. Wanda jumped to her feet as Pietro opened the door and headed into the hall.

"This is above Coulson's head," an unknown voice replied. Wanda rushed to the door beside Pietro and looked down the hall. Clint was fighting against Grant and another gentleman that Wanda read as called Lance Hunter. Lance was the one who had spoken. A little further down the hall were two people that Wanda remembered seeing in the lab just beyond the garage during their tour. Coulson had introduced them as Leo Fitz and Jemma Simmons. They were nervously looking on at Clint nearly successfully ripped his way through the other two grown men.

"Don't make us stun you, Barton!" Grant warned, hissing as Clint elbowed him in the gut. Clint spun his left arm around to try and shake Lance off of him but Lance was ready for it and held on tighter, reddening Clint's arm as the skin stretched.

"Let go!" Clint roared. Pietro's eyes narrowed, Wanda's only warning to try and move out of the way before there was a silver flash. Grant suddenly was shoved into the opposite wall from Clint and Lance was tossed onto his ass in front of Leo. Jemma squeaked and backed away as Clint and Pietro suddenly appeared beside Wanda a little further down the hall.

"The man said let go!" Pietro snapped even as Lance and Grant struggled to understand what exactly just happened.

"Thanks," Clint mumbled. Wanda turned to look at the archer. Apparently Lance and Grant had attacked the man long before trying to drag him out. Clint had a split lip, his eye was already darkening into a deep bruise and there was signs of beatings on his arms.

"We..." Grant grunted as he tried to get back up. Pietro took a threatening step forward, daring the backstabber to come closer. Wanda tensed. Doing this was drawing the man's attention to them. His eyes flashed and Wanda suddenly feared that Grant recognized them. "Have orders."

"From who?" Clint snarled, more confident with his backup. It was easy to see that Grant and Lance had no idea who they faced now.

"Does it really matter? Orders are orders, Barton. Don't matter who you are, you need to follow them," Lance cried. Clint stepped toward him. As a freelance agent, Lance was used to ordering anyone around and they'd listen to him. He wasn't used to being under the chain of command.

"Does Fury follow your orders? Does Hill? Hell, does Coulson? No! It matters where the orders come from. Coulson ordered Fitz and Simmons to leave me alone! Who ordered that to be ignored?!" Clint shouted.

"The World Security Council," Jemma shyly answered. Clint paled. Those people have always been against him and apparently it didn't matter what reality he was in. Pietro and Wanda glanced at Clint as they realized this situation was getting worse. Wanda could feel Clint's dread and mentally called out for help even though she didn't really know who she was calling out too.

"Who's that?" Pietro whispered, having a feeling that they should know. Wanda shrugged to afraid that her powers would make this volatile situation blow up.

"Does Coulson know?" Clint asked, much softer and defeated then anyone had ever heard him sound before. Wanda quickly looked to Clint and realized that he had been expecting something like this but he hadn't expected it so soon. Right away she knew that Grant must have done something. She turned an angry glare at the man but Grant wasn't paying attention to her. He was focused on Clint and has a rather smug expression on his face.

"I'm sorry," Jemma replied. Clint's shoulders sagged before he nodded and looked to the twins. He needed them to stand down. Wanda felt her own shoulders sag. There was nothing that either of them could do to help. Clint was on his own.

"Thanks," he whispered to them before slowly walking toward Lance, Grant, Leo and Jemma.

"Seriously? That's it?" Lance accused. Clint glared at him. Apparently Lance had been harder on Clint than Grant. Pietro tensed, ready to defend Clint once again even though he had pretty much asked them to stop.

"Yeah. If you had talked to me before hand, I would have come willingly," the archer hissed. Wanda could tell that he had asked for answers before and neither man had been willing to say anything.

"Clint, don't!" Wanda warned when Grant went to reach for him. Clint turned to see her worried expression before looking to Grant. Slowly his eyes widened before he looked back to Wanda with a questioning look. She nodded, knowing without using her powers that he knew Grant was Hydra.

' _Don't say anything._ ' Clint's voice ordered in her head. Wanda went to speak but stopped even as tears began to form. ' _Go to Coulson. Let him know what's going on._ ' Wanda nodded again before placing a hand on Pietro. She quickly filled him in on what Clint wanted even as the archer turned and left with Leo, Jemma and Lance. Grant stayed behind to watch the twins for a moment. But once Pietro and Wanda turned and left in the other direction, Grant spun around and headed after Clint. His mission was the archer, not the twins. Someone else was coming for them.

* * *

 **OMG! I am sooooo horrible… Sry everyone for the long wait. Life got in the way and then I forgot and then life and…. suddenly too many weeks passed. But, I should be back on track.**

 **Little Clint and Little Darius are doing well. Both being their selves and getting into lots of trouble. Both boys got a dentist appointment tomorrow… Get to see how well everything is going that way. Darius is the one I** **'m worried about while Clint normally always freaks out. Hopefully easy visit.**

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 **Review:**

NZ Guest - Thank you for the compliment. Glad you are enjoying this. Hope you enjoy it to the end.

Sammygirl1963 - Hee hee. I tricked you! That makes me happy and yet I feel bad. Sorry to trick you and now even worse I left you for a few weeks. Yeah, Clint getting away was needed for a bit but there was no way that he could stay away. As much as he doesn't realize it, Clint still needs Coulson's help. Wow… My knee was still hurting or wait… Did it just get hurt? Oh well. Yes, my knee is much better now. Still having some issues but nothing that can't wait to get checked out on. Hopefully you feel much better now. Wish I could have posted sooner. Hope you keep enjoying and I look forward to your next review!


	8. Escape Attempt 2

"So we have your blood from before and your blood now," Jemma listed as if Clint cared even more. He sat still in the chair off in the corner of the lab glaring at Grant, his apparent guard for all the tests. Not that Clint needed it at this point. He had come here willingly after an explanation was given and he hadn't tried to escape. They were still only around an hour into the tests that the duo had prepared and so far, in Clint's opinion, not much had been done. Apparently they liked taking samples and then testing them right away. Almost like they had looked him up and found he didn't like sitting for long periods of time with nothing to do. On missions it was a different feeling that came over him when he sat there and did nothing. But times like this, he got bored and fast.

"And no difference," Clint commented as Jemma started the analysis with the computers. She gave him a sarcastic look that showed she wasn't impressed with his attitude. Clint just rolled his eyes and wondered how she'd act in this situation. Would she be calm or just as sarcastically pissed off as he was? A moment later, the computer beeped, done with the analysis. One look at Jemma's face told Clint all he needed to know. Like all the tests that had been done so far, there was absolutely no difference. "So, what's next?"

"EEG," Leo called, coming in with a handful of wires. Clint's eyes narrowed at them as he tried to mentally place what an EEG was and what it did. As Leo began setting the wires up to prep the EEG, Clint realized what the machine was for and didn't fight as Leo put the electrodes into place. There was no way in hell he'd stay calm if Leo or Jemma decided more painful methods required a chance.

"What are you planning if something comes back strange?" Grant wondered, sounding morbidly pleased with all this. Leo shrugged his shoulders even as he continued working away. Jemma paused in her typing up in Clint's file to look at the other agent. Clint glared at the man, wondering when Coulson was going to burst in screaming Hydra.

"That's not up to us. We just do the tests," Jemma informed. Grant frowned.

"They're scientists, not agents," Clint clarified for Grant. Jemma and Leo looked to Clint surprised before they saw the sarcastic look on his face. Leo grunted while Jemma smiled and shook her head. Grant still looked a little confused which just made Clint shake his head and silently chuckle to himself. He was going to be as annoying as possible. Jemma apparently didn't mind as long as it wasn't directed at her per say, but Leo and Grant looked like they wouldn't last much longer.

"Oi! Stay still!" Leo cried, messing up a few of the electrodes at the archer's sudden movements. Clint chuckled louder this time, waiting for a moment when Leo was about to touch his head before finally nodding in agreement. Leo gave an angry shout that was actually even funnier. Clint snorted. "Stay still!"

"I will, I will," Clint promised with another laugh. Leo pressed an electrode a bit harder into Clint's head in revenge. Clint smirked but otherwise didn't react. Grant shook his head at the archer. Clint's smirk grew. "What? Can't take a joke?"

"Joke? I didn't hear anything funny," Grant replied. Clint laughed while Grant scowled at him. "How is any of this funny?"

"Oh, it's not," Clint admitted. Leo hesitated in his movements for a moment before placing the last few electrodes. It was as if he suddenly realized he was baiting a trained and highly dangerous assassin. Clint's smirk grew just slightly but no one around him noticed. "I need to joke about it, otherwise I'd probably have attacked them and ran or killed myself."

"Well, then... Make as many jokes as you'd like," Jemma nervously commented. Clint chuckled as Leo walked over to his section of the lab to get the study ready.

"Trust me, I plan too," Clint joked. Jemma nodded before sighing.

"I'd like to ask a few questions from your past," she said. Clint frowned.

"Why?" he asked as Leo started the EEG test without telling anyone. Jemma nervously began ringing her hands.

"Well, to see what has changed," she mentioned. Clint scoffed.

"I already went through everything. Not much changed with me. It's more what changed with the people around me," he argued, sounding angrier than before. His eyes darkened slightly as he tried to reign in his fears over what they might hear. While he had looked quickly at his background in this reality, he hadn't been thorough and like his reality, a lot was blacklisted. Jemma traded a look with Leo who simply shrugged. It was part of their tests. "Trust me, I've been looking it all up whenever I got the chance."

"I understand but..." Jemma started.

"We need it for these tests," Leo finished. Clint's eyes darkened even more but thankfully he was saved from having to reply when Wanda, Pietro and Coulson stepped into the room.

"So, I hear the WSC called an order above my head," Coulson announced into the room. Jemma and Leo jumped away from their computers to turn to the agent with guilty looks. Clint twitched an eyebrow but otherwise didn't move as per his promise to Leo earlier. Grant turned around to look at the man with a smug look.

"Yes, sir. The WSC wants Agent Barton investigated before we continue rushing all about the world for him," Grant stated, almost sounding like he was quoting from memory. Coulson frowned at the man before looking to Clint with a curious look. Clint could tell the man was impressed that the archer hadn't tried to run for it yet and was actually sitting there. Indeed, before the Avengers, Clint wouldn't have taken any of this crap, even if the WSC had ordered it. But after the Avengers, Clint wanted to prove he was worthy of his team. That meant actually following more orders, no matter how stupid it sounded.

"Well, how long are these tests going to take?" Coulson wondered, focusing his gaze on Jemma and Leo.

"Uh, not much longer, sir," Jemma lied. Coulson nodded knowing that the female was frightened of him right now. He'd make it up to her later but for now it worked to the man's advantage.

"Good. Agent Barton is needed on the Quinjet."

* * *

Coulson's interruption certainly made things progress much faster. Jemma asked a few basic questions that, like when he was first recruited for S.H.I.E.L.D, Clint skirted around. Leo watched over the EEG as he did so before asking Clint to try to nap. When the archer argued that he couldn't, Jemma noted that his file did state he had a hard time sleeping around strangers. So, Leo agreed that his test was done and began unhooking everything. Jemma mentioned a few other tests that would need to be done but couldn't be done just yet. They needed to build the equipment or wait for a part or something. Either way, Clint was released maybe a half hour after Coulson's visit. Grant seemed most upset by this but wasn't allowed to argue.

"Clint!" Wanda cried when Clint exited the lab and headed to the Quinjet, his hand running through his gel and slick hair. She rushed out the back and grabbed the archer in a hug. Pietro was fast behind her but didn't join the hug. Clint stood there for a moment, surprised, before gently hugging Wanda back. "I was so worried! That man, he has so many nasty ideas!"

"Hey, hey. It's okay. I'm fine. Ward didn't touch me," Clint soothed, rubbing a hand up and down Wanda's back. Mentally he was shocked that she became so attached to him so quickly. In the other reality, they still had a tense relationship. Wanda nodded into Clint's chest before slowly backing out of the hug. He let go as Coulson came out of the Quinjet.

"I assume considering you stole Lola, that you're trained to fly one of these," the agent questioned. Clint nodded, confused. "Wanda told me about Ward. It's best if you leave."

"I've been trying to ditch you since the beginning," Clint nearly hissed at his handler. Coulson winced. He had to admit that was true. Clint had separated himself from the team and then even stolen Lola. Coulson had assumed it was because of what happened to him in the other reality but after speaking with Wanda, he now knew that anyone could be Hyrda. Even one of the best S.H.I.E.L.D agents and Clint may not know.

"I admit that I was simply worried about you," Coulson said, glossing over his other reason for watching the archer. Clint shook his head. Rationally he knew that it wasn't just that but Clint really didn't want to think about the fact that Coulson and Fury didn't trust that he knew best. "I know you can handle yourself but... I've never had to deal with a situation like this and I guess I just wanted to keep you close. I thought that would be best."

"But Ward being Hydra changed that?" Clint countered, challenging Coulson to admit the truth. That Fury and he wanted to know that this other reality really was best for everyone. Coulson nodded.

"Yes."

"I don't know every Hydra agent. In fact, the Avengers rarely deal with them. And when we do, they're either wearing masks or I don't recognize them from S.H.I.E.L.D," Clint reiterated. Coulson sighed, feeling rather embarrassed for having assumed otherwise. Clint shook his head knowing what was on Coulson's mind. "I probably would have assumed it as well."

"I'm sorry that I did. If you take off now, I think it will be better on you," Coulson mumbled, nodding his head to the Quinjet once again. Clint grunted an agreement . "I'll try to distract Ward. Send him and whoever he may be reporting too off on the wrong track."

"It won't last. He's smart," Wanda warned. Coulson nodded. "He'll figure it out and try and get you in trouble."

Clint and Coulson chuckled at that. While it seemed like such a simple thing, when dealing with Nick Fury, neither one tended to get into too much trouble. Normally just some boring missions for a few months or training the newbies. Nothing as bad as some others, like reassignments to Antarctica and going over the records from the deep space probes. Wanda gave them a confused look before she got the thoughts from their minds and blushed deeply. It paid being friends with the boss. Well, more like family then friends.

"You know, I hear that there is a poor gentleman possibly stuck in some ice," Coulson hinted. Clint paled slightly. He should have known that Coulson would go after Steve. Coulson seemed to know what was on Clint's mind. "You may not want him on your team in fixing this, but I can't leave him there."

"Be careful... In my world, Peggy was still alive," Clint warned, having briefly looked up the Howling Commandos before finally deciding it might be best to leave Steve in the ice. Coulson frowned wondering what that had to do with anything before the name fully struck him. His mouth formed an 'oh' shape but he didn't speak. Clint nodded, knowing that Coulson knew what he meant. Steve would literally waking up to a world alone. Never mind alone, but that was actually wrong. "I'm not trying to stop you, but I just wanted to warn you."

"Thanks," Coulson replied. Clint gave the man an encouraging smile before boarding the Quinjet. He was partly surprised to see everything he had packed from the Helicarrier was already stowed away. There was even some extra items for the twins. Wanda and Pietro came on board a few moments after Clint. Apparently they wanted to warn Coulson about Grant one last time. He wasn't going to argue with that. Hydra was dangerous and if Grant was Hydra and reporting to someone back at base or on the Helicarrier, Coulson needed to warn Fury.

* * *

With Coulson's blessing on their disappearance, Clint was pleased that no one seemed to notice them leaving. Or at least as of right now it seemed that way. May turned the Bus toward Greenland once Clint slipped past her on his own way to New York. Pietro quickly explored the entire Quinjet before settling with a bag of chips in the back. Wanda placed herself in the passenger seat beside Clint. Knowing they should talk, Clint placed the jet on autopilot.

"No one can tell we left except Coulson and the pilot," Wanda said as soon as he turned to her. Clint smirked, somehow not surprised that that was what Wanda thought he'd ask. And while it was comforting to know, he had already assumed as much.

"May. Her name is Melinda May," he told her. Wanda nodded, not that she needed the information anymore but it was nice to know her name. She now had a name to put with the resonance of the woman's mind. For a while the duo sat in silence. But Wanda could tell that Clint was tense and wanted to ask her something. She was trying to be nice and not pry. Something she had read from Clint's mind before. He had asked the other her to nicely not mess with his mind. His experience with Loki deterred him from ever truly allowing Wanda's powers around him.

"Are you okay?" she finally asked. Clint sighed.

"Honestly, I don't know if I should be doing this anymore," he mumbled. "At first, I just wanted to fix this to get my family and friends back but... In some ways, this world might be better for most of them."

"Not your family," she pointed out. Clint winced. She had a point and he couldn't forget that. He sighed deeply.

"Maybe it is... Laura... She always worried about me and had to care for all of them alone. Coop... Cooper had to help... I doubt he had a normal childhood. And Lila. She had nightmares cause of me all the time..." Clint listed. Wanda sighed.

"And Nate?" she wondered, drawing the name from her memory of his mind. Clint shuddered, knowing how Wanda got that information. Wanda felt bad but she needed him to see how important this was. Things were going to get much harder. The more people he tried to involve in this, the more it would hurt. "Clint, I've seen your world. The Avengers are needed, I promise."

"But the Avengers were also dangerous," he muttered. Wanda frowned. "We tried to do our best but... We couldn't stop collateral damage. A... A lot of people died."

"Happens in every battle," Wanda explained. Clint snorted.

"Yeah, but there is always some higher power to blame. Kind-a hard to actually blame the heroes who defended you for also accidentally killing some in their effort to help. At least we tried to help. Most governments would have left people to their own devices," Clint alleged. Wanda nodded. "Hell, some of the villains only came out of the woodwork because of us. If the Avengers didn't exist..."

"They still would and then no one would be able to stop them once they finally do appear," Wanda guessed but she sounded so certain that Clint couldn't help but believe her. "Hydra is still here. And from my Captain America history, Hydra existed before Steve Rogers ever became Captain America."

"Point," Clint chuckled. Wanda smiled. She was glad that Clint could see what she meant. No matter how much most things differed in this reality, there was still a lot that was the same. Apparently most of the changes seem to revolve around the Avengers. But Wanda wondered if maybe more had changed that Clint didn't know about because he didn't know those other people. Maybe, people had been affected and all she needed now was proof.

"So, who are we going to be recruiting first?" Wanda muttered after she realized there had been a few minutes of silence. Clint exhaled a deep breath that sounded loud enough to almost be considered a moan. Wanda smirked. She could tell, even without her powers, that the archer had no real plans on what to do. In fact, most of what he had done so far was just moving forward. He had no idea what to do or how to fix this issue. Hell, it was almost as if he hoped he could recruit the one person who did know.

"Uh... I guess we could go for Spiderman?" Clint questioned. Wanda looked to the archer even as he mind thought about what she had learned about the man... Wait, boy... She raised an eyebrow.

"Is there a reason you keep recruiting mostly teens?" she wondered. Clint paled suddenly. The idea shocked him so bad that Wanda could feel it even though she wasn't actively trying to. She winced even as Clint shook his head to get over it.

"Okay... Uh. I could go for that 'Devil of Hell's Kitchen' dude," Clint suggested as if that was a better choice. In fact, he had wanted to get both on his team. But the more he thought about adding people to his team to fix this, the more he wondered what he'd be fixing. Would these people have better lives as well. In the back of the Quinjet, Pietro finally got bored of looking around. He turned to see Wanda glance at Clint with a small smile. While he had been busy exploring, he had been paying attention to the conversation in the back of his mind. Replaying it in his mind, the speedster had to scoff. He rushed up behind the duo's seats.

"How bout you come up with a real plan, old man?" Pietro suddenly demanded. Clint sighed deeply enough to be considered a groan before reaching across the dash to hit the autopilot. Pausing to make sure it was set to send the jet over New York airspace, the archer then turned his seat to look at the twins. Wanda was already facing him and Pietro was half standing, half leaning against her seat to stare at Clint as well.

"Honestly... I have no idea what I'm doing," the archer admitted as if it wasn't noticeable. Wanda traded a look with her brother that Pietro didn't catch. If he had, then his next words would not have been said.

"Pretty obvious," the speedster laughed. Clint winced, having expected something like this before. "I mean. You came and got us and it was really noticeable that if we said 'no' that you had no way to convince us to help you. Really, you got lucky."

"Lucky?" Clint muttered before unbuckling his seat belt and standing. Pietro also stood up. Wanda grabbed his hand to stop him from doing something stupid. "Lucky that my whole family was just murdered cause someone fucked with the world? Lucky that my few friends are either dead or don't know me cause they haven't gone through the most horrible events of their lives that turned them into the people I know? Lucky to find out that two people whom I thought were dead now exist and I'm going to be killing one of them all over again to go back to a world that I'm starting to question as better?"

"Uh..." Pietro stuttered, glancing over to Wanda. She was shaking her head and so he couldn't get any clues from her as to what to say now. "Yeah?" the speedster guessed, sounding so confused and disheartened that Clint almost felt bad for yelling at him. The archer frowned before deeply exhaling. Pietro knew he messed up. "Look, I know that none of this is easy but... Wanda did-"

"Pietro," Clint interrupted, turning away from the twins. Pietro paused. "I don't care."

With that, Clint headed into the back of the Quinjet. Pietro gapped for a moment, wondering what exactly he had said wrong. Wanda shook her head again. No matter how much she or even Pietro could tell Clint that his reality was better, the archer will continue to question his decision. She knew there was only so much she could do here but once the reality was shifted back, Clint would be on his own, still second guessing his decision. The worst part was she knew why... Who made them in charge of this choice? Who were they to say certain events needed to happen? That certain people need or didn't need to die? While the people that knew of Clint's situation agreed that he was right, what about everyone else? What would they think if they ever learned the truth?

Distracted in her own mind as she was, Wanda didn't sense the surge of magic in time. When she finally did sense it, it was too late to stop whatever was about to happen. Worse, she couldn't tell what the magic was supposed to do. It was strange, old and not fully supernatural. Almost like it belonged in the world. But right now, that magic was going to divide the twins from Clint.

"CLINT!" the witch shouted even as she got up from her seat, ready to either attack or protect. Pietro jerked around as if he could see what Wanda was sensing but right now it was only just beginning to show. Clint spun around in time to see a giant circle of gold and green appear before a man as tall as Tony with a rather similar looking appearance and a red cape stepped through. Clint's instincts hit before his mind could catch up to the fact that this man had just appeared on a moving jet, but that Clint also knew who he was.

The man caught Clint's spin kick easily. Almost as if someone had warned him that the archer would immediately attack. But apparently the man wasn't warned about the cohorts that would possibly be in Clint's company. As the man pushed Clint's leg back to the floor, a silver speedster slammed into him from behind. Pietro ended up shoving the man right into Clint's waiting fist and the man only had a second to magically shield himself from most of the strike before it landed.

"WAIT!" the man roared as he got back to his feet. Clint and Pietro were both already ready to attack again so the man threw his arms up that created magical barriers that stopped the duo from hitting him further and even really moving. Amazingly, Wanda didn't use her own magic to help. Instead, she stood by her seat, watching. That was the moment that Clint's mind finally caught up to his body. Slowly, he lowered his arms.

"Strange," the archer hissed. He really hated magic. It took him a while to get over Wanda's use of magic. And that was mostly because the girl agreed to never use it on Clint unless his life was in danger. The man (Stephen Strange) looked to the archer with a confused and surprised look.

"You know me?" he wondered, still not letting up his magic. Pietro glanced over to Wanda before also relaxing his stance. Clint nodded his head.

"Dr. Stephen Strange. World renowned surgeon till you crashed your car. Disappeared for a while before coming back under the title Sorcerer Supreme," Clint listed. Back in his reality, Steve had been having Clint go through recruitment files for other potential Avengers. Strange was considered until Clint realized that he'd be torturing the guy with Tony Stark. The two were already in a similar circle of friends so they knew each other before Strange became Sorcerer Supreme. Ultimately, Clint decided that Strange was recommended to ask for help every now and then but not to officially join the team at all.

"I'm actually only Sorcerer Supreme in training," Stephen corrected, releasing his magic. Clint stumbled a moment at the sudden lack of support from the magic. Pietro on the other hand, fell flat on his face. Wanda couldn't stop her chuckle of laughter in time which made Pietro send her an evil little glare as he got back up. Clint ignored them.

"'In training'?" Clint questioned. Stephen chuckled.

"The current Sorcerer Supreme has not... Passed," Stephen clarified. Clint frowned at this. His mind focusing on the reality shift. "Don't worry. I'm not here to stop you," Stephen soothed. Clint raised an eyebrow at this one which made Stephen chuckle more. "It was the Sorcerer Supreme who ordered me to come and help you."

"Help us? What makes you think we need it?" Pietro haughtily called as if he hadn't just fought with Clint about their current plans. Clint rolled his eyes at the boy before turning as if to smack him. Wanda beat him to it as Stephen shook his head.

"Excuse my brother. He sometimes speaks before he thinks," Wanda excused, speaking over Pietro's outraged cry. Stephen nodded.

"Sometimes?" Clint softly scoffed. Wanda snorted while Stephen smiled. Pietro gave the archer an affronted face but was smart enough to not do anything else.

"And I thought we were close," Pietro mocked. Well, while he couldn't do anything physical, that didn't stop Pietro from using his mouth. Clint shook his head and vowed to ignore the speedster till he found out Stephen's real reason for helping.

"So, the Sorcerer Supreme really sent you?" Clint asked, his voice skeptical. Stephen nodded, figuring that Clint was questioning the real reason for him being there. "Why? What's in it for you guys?"

"Balance," Stephen stated as if that was the only answer they needed. Clint frowned, wondering what the hell the Sorcerer meant by that. Stephen chuckled, figuring that Clint didn't understand. Most people that didn't know or understand magic wouldn't understand what he had meant. "This reality if out of balance with good and evil."

"Okay," Clint muttered as if that suddenly made more sense to him than 'balance'. Stephen smiled.

"Without this balance, the world will eventually crumble."

"So what, this world have too much good?" Pietro scoffed. "Don't see that as a bad thing."

"No," Wanda mumbled, understanding what Stephen was saying better than the others. It was how she kept trying to tell Clint that his reality was better. The world needed the Avengers. "This world has too much evil. Without the Avengers, there is no balance."

"Correct," the Sorcerer replied. "As horrible as many of their lives are in your reality, the worlds need them. They provide courage, discipline, and respect from other heroes in the present and future. Without them, the world shifts into the wrong direction and there is no one able to stop it," Stephen explained further. Clint frowned. "Your reality is not the only one with a version of the Avengers or a group like them. They exist in all different forms and even times."

"You have got to be shitting me," Clint cursed, dropping down into the nearest seat. "So, there's really no telling if I could go back to the right reality?"

"No. Your reality was... Altered into this creation. In actuality, we all didn't exist as you see us know until this reality was created. At that moment that the world shifted," Stephen replied, pointing to Wanda, Pietro and himself. Clint frowned.

"When you tripped on the stairs," Wanda supplied. Clint gave her and Stephen an odd look. "Somehow, you seem to sense the change and shifted your mind over."

"How?" Clint wondered, looking back to the floor before an image of Loki and his scepter flashed through his mind. A shudder ran up his back before he shook his head. "Wait, never mind. I don't want to know."

Stephen and Wanda traded a look. Did they tell Clint the truth? Risk his ire for a situation that may not come to pass? After a moment, they both mentally agreed that hopefully their counterparts would alert the archer to his situation before something bad happened. They only could hope that it would help in time.

"Okay, so we know when this happened. Anyone know how? And what we're gonna do to fix it?" Pietro asked in the silence of the jet. Clint shook his head and looked up to Pietro, his mind half trying to wrap around what Stephen was saying while the rest tried focusing back on his original mission. Wanda looked to her brother before back to Stephen. Stephen nodded.

"My master, the Sorcerer Supreme, has an idea. She wishes to speak to you about it in person though," Stephen suggested, turning to look at Clint. The archer shrugged. So far it was better than his plans of going around collecting other heroes in the hopes that someone might have an answer. It was at this point that the Quinjet decided to remind the group that they still had been flying into New York airspace. An alarm sounded that made everyone jump. Clint pushed past the group to get to the front. Wanda was right behind him as if she had an idea on how to help. "That doesn't sound good."

Clint shook his head in agreement. "We're under attack."

* * *

 **Wow… Just wow…. Totally late on posting and I** **'m sorry… I'm trying to do better but life gets in the way. Fridays are apparently the worst day for me to post… Might switch it to another day. Don't know when though.**

 **Little Clint is not starting potty training, not my choice or his... My mother-in-law decided she had the right to do it cause I wasn't. Yeah, not to pleased with this idea. And then, today I get thrown to the wolves on trying to help Clint so needless to say, laundry is getting down as I type… Little Darius is upstairs mad at me cause he needs to nap but he feels he doesn't need too. His screams are echoing through the house… Hopefully he'll give in soon. I know he needs it and this is usually when he does nap. No idea why he isn't. Hopefully things will get easier. And for those who celebrate it Happy Thanksgiving!**

 **FAVORITES:** StarWarsandDisneylover (hee hee love this name), Hannah201

 **FOLLOWS:** (pout…)

 **REVIEWS:**

TheNaggingCube - Yeah, a lot can happen in one chapter and in others, nothing can happen. Hmm, those are some good questions. Just have to wait and see.

Sammygirl1963 - I almost feel like I might have made Pietro too protective of Clint but I'm glad you enjoyed him. Yeah, I hate that he had to die in the MCU. Stupid contracts. But that's where Fan Fiction comes into play. We can do whatever we want. If I wanted too, I could totally throw some _Game of Thrones_ characters in here if I wanted to. Not saying I will but still, that's the power of Fan Fiction! Don't worry about late reviews. Apparently I'm gonna be late in posting as well. Hee hee. I did have some wonderful weekends, including going to Rhode Island Comic Con. Got to meet Dave Bautista (Drax the Destroyer) and Christopher Lloyd. Until next time!


	9. Sorcerer Supreme or Ancient Jerk?

"Under attack?" Pietro echoed just before an explosion went off near the right side of the jet. Stephen and Pietro crashed into the other side of the jet as they had been unprepared. Clint grunted as he gripped the flight controls before clicking the autopilot off and buckling in. Wanda buckled in as well, glancing at the archer with a thought of asking if he knew what to do. Pietro slowly got off Stephen as another distant explosion went off. "Oh. That under attack."

"Find a seat and park your ass," Clint warned as a third explosion went off. Stephen smirked at the language before doing as ordered in a seat right next to where he landed. Pietro opened his mouth to rebuke the order but stopped when a fourth explosion nearly tossed him into the ceiling. As the boy got into a seat, Clint glanced over his shoulder. "Anyone got an extraction plan?"

"I can create a portal," Stephen suggested. Clint thought back to the portal the man had used to board the jet. It wasn't all that large and Clint really didn't want to lose the jet just yet.

"Big enough for the jet?" Clint countered. Stephen frowned as he looked over the expanse of the inside. He could only imagine how large it was on the outside.

"I have not tried before," the Sorcerer replied, looking back to the archer. Clint shot him a dirty look as an explosion to the left of the jet made them all shudder. Stephen could easily tell that whoever was attacking them was either in a faster flying unit or had been laying in wait for them. "But... I can try."

"Do it!" Clint cried, turning back around in time to see an explosion go off in front of them. Unable to avoid it, Clint flew through the fire cloud. Wanda screeched slightly, having never done anything like that before. Pietro gripped his seat a bit tighter and watched Stephen as the Sorcerer closed his eyes and began concentrating. He raised a hand in front of him with two fingers up, while the other was near his elbow in a similar style. "I can't do this long!"

"Give me a moment!" Strange shouted back, focusing his magic to a spot in the distance. Clint grumbled now knowing how the other party felt when someone said those lines. He loved to say that statement to Natasha all the time, especially when she didn't know how to do what he did.

"I'll try," he said even as another explosion went off nearly in front of them but Clint was able to avoid it this time. That was when he began to feel the first signs of engine failure. The debris from the bombs must be getting to the jets. Clint hadn't had to deal with this fact in one of S.H.I.E.L.D's jets but he wouldn't have been surprised if Grant Ward had done something to all the jets once he learned about Clint knowing about Hydra. That was when the archer noticed some flashing green and gold sparks off in the distance. Considering it was about the same altitude as the jet itself and looked similar to the portal that Stephen had created earlier, Clint angled the jet in that direction. As he drew closer, Clint noted that the area kept sparking but didn't actually form anything like he had seen Stephen come through. He glanced back at the Sorcerer. "Strange?!"

"I KNOW!" Stephen roared. Another explosion sent the Quinjet rocking worse than before and Clint grunted to keep the jet stable. More alarms stared wailing loudly. Wanda tensely looked to Clint, knowing that their right engine had been damaged while the left was in the mists of failing as well. Pietro panicked a bit and gripped his seat tighter.

"What happened?" the speedster cried even though he really didn't want to know the answer. The words came out before he could stop and think.

"Lost an engine," Clint snapped, struggling to keep the jet level and on track with Stephen's portal. "Strange! Almost there!"

Stephen let out a loud roaring scream before finally a portal large enough for the entire jet to fit through opened. Clint flew through it but the whole jet didn't end up making it through. Stephen passed out about halfway through and the portal closed, leaving nearly a quarter of the jet's back end behind. Pietro's eyes widened at the sight. If he had been two seats further back, he would have been split in half.

"Shit! Brace yourselves!" Clint screamed. Pietro panicked again.

"On WHAT?" the speedster yelled. Clint didn't have a chance to reply before the jet crashed into sand.

* * *

"Clint?" a female voice called into the din and pain of Clint's mind. The archer groaned, wishing he could fall back into blissful sleep where there was no pain. At the edge of his consciousness, Clint felt something touching his face. Not wanting to bother it, Clint fell back into blackness a bit more. "Clint?" Wait, no. Not something. Someone was poking his cheek. There was only one person Clint could think of brave enough to do that. "Clint, wake up."

"Tony... Stop it," the archer mumbled, swatting his hand at who he assumed was poking him. Someone chuckled, this time a male. For a moment Clint thought he probably should wake up but he just didn't want to deal with the pain that his body was currently in.

"Not Tony, old man," the male voice laughed. Clint's eyes snapped open at the familiar sound. He didn't even get a second to focus on Pietro before a massive headache made him close his eyes again with a curse on his lips. Apparently this whole thing wasn't some sort of horrible dream.

"Are you okay?" the female, Wanda, asked. Clint groaned as if that was a response. Pietro chuckled. "Oh. Cause... Dr. Strange needs help."

That made Clint jerk into awareness almost as fast as hearing Pietro's voice had. His memories of the events before the crash came back with sudden vibrancy. Strange had opened a portal but he couldn't hold it. After the jet already was done one complete engine and on the verge of losing the second, losing the rear end was worse. Clint had no control and though he tried to make a softish landing, the force of the hit jarred Clint and the other passengers into unconsciousness. This time, Clint's shock to awareness held better than before. Right away, his mind calculated every injury he had. Possible broken rib or two, cut on head with possible concussion, sprained right wrist, undetermined pain in left leg and a rolling stomach.

"Ugh," Clint groaned again as if Wanda and Pietro weren't in just as much pain as he was.

"Right back at ya, old man," Pietro snorted. Clint grunted as he shifted to get up. His leg muscle spazzed out making it hard to move. And his ribs also protested. Never mind the dizziness that almost dropped Clint flat on the floor if he hadn't still been buckled into his seat. Suddenly a hand touched him and the pain faded away. Shocked, Clint's eyes widened before focusing on the hand and then up to Wanda's face. He wasn't fast enough to stop his shudder of fear and disgust at the magic used on his body.

"I'm sorry," Wanda whispered but Clint could tell she wasn't a sincere as she had hoped to be. "I wouldn't have done it if Dr. Strange didn't need you."

"Kay," Clint softly lied before gently tossing her hand off of him and getting up. Wanda tried and failed to not show the hurt that she felt when Clint went out of his way to walk past her without letting her close enough to touch him again. Pietro frowned but didn't comment. He understood how much Wanda's powers could bother someone. Heck, the first time she used her powers on him, he had been so creeped out for a week that he jumped anytime someone spoke. In fact, there were still some days that he questioned if he was doing something cause he thought it was right or cause Wanda made him think that. For a moment, Pietro wanted to go talk to Clint but Wanda held him back.

"Don't," she whispered before moving to the opening of the jet and walking out. When she walked past Clint, the archer tensed but didn't shift further. He seemed mostly focused on checking out Stephen for injuries. Out of all of them, the Sorcerer seemed the most protected and least injured. Apparently being limp during an accident was better than holding on. But while Stephen had been limp during the initial accident, he was still unconscious and Clint had no idea how to help.

"Step aside," a strange female voice commanded. Clint jerked to suddenly see an elderly bald woman standing beside him. Wanda rushed around the back end of the broken jet as though to alert Clint of someone coming. Seeing her face, that's when Clint deduced that this woman before him must be the actual Sorcerer Supreme in this reality. Slowly, he shifted to give her room but didn't fully get away. She gave him a soft encouraging smile. Almost as if she was praising him for wanting to help a teammate that he barely knew. Of course, once she waved her hands over Stephen and he was illuminated by a strange glow, Clint rather quickly backed off. She chuckled. "Aversion to magic?"

"First meeting with it, didn't go so well," Clint evaded. She nodded in such a way that Clint wondered how much she really knew about him.

"Not all magic is evil," she reminded. Clint frowned even as she stopped making Stephen glow and put her hands down. She focused more on him. "He will be fine. He just needs rest."

"Over exerted himself?" Pietro wondered. The woman smiled at the speedster before nodding. Clint frowned as the kid looked at him. "So this is your fault."

"What?" Clint cried.

"He did say he had never portal-ed something this large. But you made him," Pietro explained. Clint's frowned deepened.

"Would you rather have died?" he questioned before getting up and storming out of the jet. The woman chuckled at the archer as he left.

"You should not be so harsh on him. He has many things on his mind," the woman warned before standing and walking after Clint. Wanda moved to let her by before focusing on Pietro with a heavy gaze.

"What?"

* * *

Clint could tell that the Sorcerer Supreme had followed after him. He also wasn't as surprised as he thought he'd be to see that she hadn't come alone. Five more people surrounded the jet at integral points and watched the horizon beyond for any danger. Amazingly, their presence didn't bother him. But when the Sorcerer Supreme came within touching distance, Clint couldn't help but tense.

"No need to fear. I don't plan on doing any magic," the woman warned. Clint grunted but still wasn't able to relax. "Is that one experience the only reason you dislike magic?"

"I've had some other experiences. But it was fake magic. Then... Then I met Loki," Clint growled, using the godling's name like a curse. The Sorcerer Supreme laughed. Clint looked to her, surprised.

"There is no such thing as fake magic," she replied. Clint scoffed and rolled his eyes. "They used trick magic, but magic none-the-less."

"Judging by that, anyone can learn magic," Clint grunted. When she said nothing, he glanced over at her to see her expectant face. "No. No! Fuck no!"

"Not everyone can learn it when they first want to. But when their minds are ready, they can become open to the mystic ways," she described. Clint shook his head and shifted a couple of steps away from her. She laughed again. "I promised that I wouldn't use my magic on you."

"Yeah well, I know a lot of promises that get broken so," Clint paused before shifted another step away.

"What about the magic that the young woman used on your injuries? That was good magic."

"I didn't ask for it, nor did I want it. She just did it," Clint snarled. Suddenly the woman placed a hand on Clint's shoulder. He didn't even have a second to protest her touch before his mind was racing through his memories back to the days before Loki. Back when he was young and actually intrigued by the magic that the 'sorcerer's' at the circus did. For years Clint had thought they performed real magic. But then one of them had gotten caught by an angered patron. That was the same day that Clint learned they were all con artists. After that, magic lost its thrall but there had been one performer who had still be impressive to the little lost archer. It was the fortune teller. While her fortunes were sometimes wrong, she had other tricks up her sleeve that made everything better. She could make people follow her orders, knew someone's past down to the name of their best friend, and even could make things vanish and reappear elsewhere. No one could prove how she did any of those things.

Then, just as suddenly as the thoughts appeared, his mind was back in the present. The woman dropped her hand, a bit of surprise on her face while Clint dropped to his knees. She waited a moment, allowing him to just breath and center himself. When she believed him to be ready, she spoke.

"I apologize. I did not intend for that to happen," the Sorcerer Supreme said as she kneeled down beside the archer. Clint was still heavily breathing and looked to be on the verge of a panic attack. The Ancient One frowned.

"What… The fuck… Was that?" Clint stuttered, trying to stop himself from mentally panicking any more.

"Your magic reacted with my own," she replied. Clint turned to give her a nasty look. Apparently it wasn't as nasty as he had hoped because instead of backing off, she laughed at him. "As I have said before, all creatures have magic."

"No," Clint groaned. There was no way he had magic in any shape or form. She had to have been wrong.

"I apologize again, but it is true," the woman stated, unknowing of the mental state of the archer. Clint growled at her before pushing off the ground to get back up to his feet. The Ancient One followed. "You had magic before and the spear woke it up far sooner than it should have been."

"Stop talking to me," Clint snapped though it sounded a lot like angry begging. The Ancient One looked amused. "Just… Go away."

"I again apologize but you need to know this," she mentioned. Clint shook his head.

"Just SHUT UP!" Clint shouted. It was thankfully in that moment that Wanda and Pietro helped Stephen stagger over to the duo. Wanda looked pissed, as did Stephen but not as much as the teen. Pietro just seemed focused on putting each foot in front of the other in a slow enough move that Stephen wouldn't stumble from.

"Ancient One, please," Stephen begged. Clint and the Sorcerer Supreme turned to look at the pathetic little trio. From one glance, Wanda and Pietro knew that Clint was close to cracking and they knew that they wouldn't be able to put him back together. Stephen could tell that the archer was tired but didn't see the same thing that the twins saw. "He can learn about this later."

"I pray you are right," she agreed after looking between the archer and her student for a moment. She nodded then and walked off, almost telling Stephen that he needed to talk to Clint sooner rather than later. Everyone waited until they were certain the woman was out of hearing range before relaxing. Stephen sat down on the ground with the twins' help. Pietro then headed over to help Clint slowly drop back down as well.

"Thanks," Clint muttered. Stephen nodded, knowing how grateful the archer was. "How you feeling?"

"Nothing a rest can't handle," Stephen admitted, half wondering if the archer really cared or if he had just really wanted to change the subject. Clint nodded and relaxed a bit further into the ground. With a grunt, Stephen decided to test Clint. "I'm sorry for whatever the Ancient One said."

"I don't want to talk about it," Clint hissed darkly. Stephen sighed. Apparently, the archer had just wanted to change the subject. Slowly, the sorcerer in training glanced at Wanda. Both of them could tell that the news the magic wielders needed to give Clint would only be best given by a friend. Wanda nodded her head in agreement but both knew that neither of them were going to be that close friend. Here or there. Pietro, lost to the conversation of his sister and Strange, looked between everyone.

"So… Uh. What are we gonna do now?" the speedster wondered in the new silence of the group. Stephen turned to Clint while the archer turned to his attention between everyone. Wanda also focused on Clint and Pietro followed everyone else. Clint finally settled onto staring at Stephen. The man sighed.

"The Ancient One has a plan. We must speak to her," the Sorcerer replied. Clint shook his head with a depressive looking gaze.

"Of course we do."

* * *

Much to the consternation of the group, the Sorcerer Supreme refused to speak about her ideas in the open space that the Quinjet crashed. Clint was half convinced that she wouldn't even tell him even then. But a few minutes after they argued about that, the Ancient One decided everyone was fit enough to go through a portal. She set it up in the blink of an eye which made Clint give Stephen a skeptical look. Stephen huffed at the archer and mouthed, 'in training.' Clint chuckled even as he began to feel his anxiety rising over going through another portal. Pietro must have either been informed by Wanda or understood what was happening as he placed a hand on the archer's shoulder. Clint glanced at the speedster even as Pietro gently pushed Clint through the portal.

"You okay?" the speedster worryingly whispered to the archer as they passed through the portal. Clint was so focused on the teen that he didn't even notice they went through.

"Honestly, no," the archer admitted. Pietro nodded, having assumed as much from before. "I just want to wake up from this horrible nightmare."

"Sorry," Pietro mumbled as if he was the only part of the nightmare bothering Clint. The archer sighed, understanding how the speedster had taken his comments.

"Not you. Just… Everything else. So much has happened that... I honestly think I'm done. I can't do this anymore," Clint sighed. Pietro frowned. That was totally not what he had been expecting to hear. The two paused a few feet from the portal. Most of the team that had been sent through the portal after them had gone through first and they had already moved about their business. Stephen and Wanda stumbled through as Pietro faced Clint.

"You wanna quit being an Avenger? After all this to try and fix the world?" the speedster asked. Clint shrugged, totally unsure about what he was saying at this point. Stephen and Wanda traded a worried look. If Clint gave up being an Avenger, who knows what could happen. As weird as it sounded, the Avengers needed Clint. He humanized the team. While it was true that there were other humans on the team, no one was a vulnerable as Clint was in battles. He kept the team together.

"Maybe. I don't know," Clint groaned, rubbing at his face. It was at that point that the Sorcerer Supreme passed through her portal and shut it down. She took one look at the group she had added into her care and frowned. The archer looked ready to drop and his mind was finally catching up with what had happened to him. Stephen needed at least ten hours of rest due to the strain of magic he pulled but she was impressed that he had indeed pulled it off with the amount of practice he had gotten. The twins were pretty much set. Pietro was just kind of going with the flow of things and the Ancient One couldn't see anything truly disastrous happening to the boy. Wanda on the other hand… The older woman could tell that the girl wasn't fully in control of her powers. Something that was truly dangerous if left as it was.

"I feel we all need a break. Wong will show you to your rooms," the Ancient One announced to the room at large. Clint spun on her, his body filling with a surge of energy from his panic and adrenaline.

"Hell no!" he cried. She smiled at him with a gaze that told him she had known that he'd fight her and was ready for it. Seeing that made Clint tense more. Pietro also tensed, ready to defend the archer if needed. Wanda and Stephen, sensing similar to the Ancient One, did nothing to stop any of them.

"You have been on the move since the transition. For your mind and body, you need to rest," the Sorcerer Supreme softly demanded. Clint shook his head but before he could speak again, she stepped forward. No one really had a chance to react but Stephen tried.

"Don't!" Strange called, moving to try and stop her but mostly nearly falling flat on his face. Thankfully Wanda was there to support him but in her effort to help him, she then couldn't defend Clint. Stephen was ignored and even Pietro wasn't fast enough on the uptake to stop the Ancient One from pressing a finger against Clint's forehead. Less than half a second later, the archer crumbled to the floor.

"CLINT!" the twins screamed. Pietro dropped down to his knees so that he could check on Clint while Wanda, shifted Stephen around so that she could protect the whole group. A light red shield formed between the Ancient One, Pietro and Clint. The Ancient One was unaffected by the small display of power. She dropped her hand and glanced over to the young female.

"Worry not. He is merely sleeping," she soothed as if it mattered to any of them. Stephen seemed to get his feet underneath him and stepped out from behind Wanda. Her shield didn't extend far enough to bother him.

"You didn't have to do that," the man snapped, glancing down at Clint and Pietro quick before looking harshly at his mentor. While Stephen knew that the Ancient One seemed to have a reason for everything, he also knew from experience that sudden use of magic on someone tended to bother them. Never mind Clint's past experiences with magic.

"He was close to crashing and I fear he wouldn't have rested naturally," she argued, again as if it really mattered. Stephen shook his head, knowing that she didn't understand what he had meant. Figuring she wasn't going to do anything else, Stephen turned to Clint and Pietro.

"Let's bring him to his room," the sorcerer told the speedster. Pietro nodded and got up before picking Clint up as well. He struggled with the weight as he hadn't expected the archer to weigh that much but Clint was pure muscle and tended to look smaller than he actually was. As the men made their way out of the room, Pietro sent an angry glare to the Ancient One. He was so distracted by his anger with the old woman and Clint that he didn't notice Wanda staying behind.

"I'm guessing you wish to argue with my choice as well?" the Sorcerer Supreme stated more than questioned. Wanda shook her head as she dropped the barrier that had moved along with Pietro and Clint through the room.

"You know how wrong that was. No matter that it may have been needed," Wanda muttered. The Ancient One tilted her head in acknowledgment. "What I wish to discuss is the untamed magic in him."

"Ah. I'm surprised that you sense it as well," the older woman said, clearly impressed. Wanda nodded, her face showing confusion as she had almost believed anyone could sense it. The Ancient One nodded again. "It calls a lot of trouble to him."

"Is there any way to help him?" Wanda asked, wondering if there was a way she could take the magic away from the archer. That would be best for everyone but when the Ancient One sighed and looked away, Wanda knew. There was nothing. "I feared that."

"Until he accepts it, the magic will remain untamed. Your counterpart may be able to help, but you are full of just as much untamed magic," the Ancient One warned. Wanda frowned and looked down at herself as if she could see how much magic flowed through her body. But something about what the Ancient One didn't say made Wanda realize that her untamed magic did not call upon the same kind of trouble that Clint's did. "Seek out help. I doubt that the Avengers are that help and I know I can't be."

"And Dr. Strange?" Wanda wondered. The Ancient One smiled and shook her head. While the Stephen from this world was still under her tutelage, it meant he was progressing at a far faster rate than most magic users. But in the other reality, Stephen didn't have as long. He would still be trying to understand his limits as well.

"He was forced into a high position far before he should have been. Given time, yes, he could help you. But, I feel there are others who could help you right away," she mentioned. Wanda frowned, trying to think of who the older woman may be hinting at. Knowing that Clint hadn't met these people and that Wanda would never have run across them, the Ancient One smiled gently. "Rest on it. Your counterpart may already know of whom I speak."

"Thank you."

* * *

 **Argh! Late again! Jeez… I need an alarm system just for posting.**

 **Little Clint is getting mad at me lately. I** **'m trying to put him on a bit of a diet as he is getting a rather hefty beer belly and considering my husband and I both struggle with our weight, I figure it's best to get him used to it now. Not that the In-Laws are abiding my wish… But that's only two days. Two days shouldn't kill him overall. Hopefully. Little Darius is getting mad at me as well… (I'm an A**hole parent apparently, lol). I'm working on his trying to speak. I've been noticing for the past few weeks that all I've heard from him was 'hi', 'bye', and maybe 'mama' and 'dada'. A couple of 'brother' as well but nothing like he used to do. He had so many words before hand now all he does is scream at me until I guess what he wants. Well, the screaming has increased cause now I 'ignore' him in an attempt to get him to speak the word I know he can use. Hasn't seemed to help just yet but we'll see.**

 **Favorite:** gothbadgirl, MrNoobishDude, adharsy12 ( _5 Times the Avengers Caught Clint with a Secret)_

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Sammygirl1963 - I'm gonna really hate when one day I disappoint you now… Hopefully that never happens. Yes, lot going on. From finally escaping Coulson and his team to being joined with Dr. Strange and then the attack on the Quinjet. Never mind all the psycho analysis in between. Poor Clint, will I ever let up on the archer and just give him a break? No, not likely. As for a friend working for Hydra, hmm. Interesting… We'll see how it turns out. Don't worry about the late reviews, apparently I'm never gonna post on time, lol. I'm sorry things have been tough with your family and I hope things get better. See you next time!


	10. Next Step

Clint ended up sleeping for over eighteen hours, a testament to how exhausted he had been. The Ancient One's magic had worn off after a half hour. Stephen also took the time to sleep, though not nearly as long as Clint. Pietro stayed by Clint's side the entire time. Protecting the man even though the speedster knew that Clint could handle himself and that the archer wanted to 'kill' him to create a better world. Wanda spent some time with the Sorcerer Supreme after she also rested for a short time. The duo were training even though it wouldn't help the Wanda in Clint's reality, it may help restore the world to how it was supposed to be.

Nearing the end of the eighteen hours of sleep, Clint started to stir a bit. Pietro perked up, having nearly fallen asleep on his watch. It almost looked like the archer was having a nightmare. Pietro was about to try and soothe the archer when suddenly, Clint's eyes snapped open.

"Son of a bitch!" the archer cried as he came back into awareness far faster than Pietro had ever seen someone do before. Pietro jumped to his feet at the shock of the cry.

"Clint! Hey, it's okay!" Pietro called, trying to stop Clint from getting into a sitting position. Of course, Clint's second reaction to waking up was to attack whatever presence he sensed near him and with Pietro about to lay a hand on him, that was mentally deemed an attack. Thankfully, Pietro was able to see the attack coming due to his powers and was not only able to dodge the attack but grab a hold of the archer in an attempt to calm him further. That only seemed to enrage the agitated archer. "CLINT!"

"Pietro?" Clint stuttered after a moment. Slowly, he settled as his gaze started to focus on the teen. Sensing that the event was over, Pietro released the archer from his hold and backed a step away to nod. Now released, Clint raised a hand and began rubbing the remnants of sleep from his face. He still felt and looked really tired even though his body felt well rested. But Clint also felt a bit like he had been drugged. A side effect. "What happened?"

"The Ancient One knocked you out," Pietro happily replied knowing the archer would get pissed at the older woman. At this point though, Pietro didn't care. Wanda had come in earlier and complained about the treatment she was getting from the woman and ever since, the Ancient One had been on Pietro's 'shit list'. Clint's face darkened as he remembered arguing with the woman and then her finger coming closer until blackness. "She used magic."

"Damn magic," Clint hissed as he suddenly got dizzy. Something that normally happened when he was drugged with normal medicine for surgery. Pietro nodded, not knowing that Clint's body was having an adverse reaction to what the Ancient One had done. As the archer centered himself once more, he glanced over at Pietro. "How long?"

"Her magic was supposed to stop after a half hour but..." Pietro trailed off. Something about that made the archer unsteady. He sat up and got hit with another dizzy spell that wore off when Pietro grabbed his arm to help hold himself up.

"How long?" Clint emphasized when it was over. Pietro sighed and looked away nervously. He had spoken with Wanda and Stephen about letting the archer sleep so long but they all agreed, Clint did need the sleep.

"About eighteen hours," the teen answered.

"Son of a bitch!" Clint cussed again. He then proceeded to try and get off the bed but his movements were slower than normal and totally uncoordinated, almost like that of a new born babe. Pietro frowned in concern even as he gently pushed the archer back to the bed.

"You need more sleep," the speedster argued as if Clint even cared. Clint grunted in response before fighting to get back up again. This time, Pietro used a bit more force. "Do I need to ask for someone to knock you out again?"

"You wouldn't," Clint skeptically said even as he began to relax back into the bed. Pietro gave the archer a look that dared Clint to test that theory. Clint growled even as his face paled a bit before laying back down in the bed completely. For a moment, the two sat in complete silence. "Now what."

"Wanda's getting some training, you need more rest, and then we'll figure out our next move," Pietro listed as if he was suddenly in charge. Clint scoffed, turning his body away from Pietro like a petulant child.

"I don't need rest," Clint snapped as he room door opened. Neither man paid any attention it, lost in their own conversation and each other's presence.

"Sadly, your body and aura says otherwise," Stephen called, introducing himself to the room. Pietro looked over and seemed relieved to have back up in dealing with Clint. Clint on the other hand tensed as he turned back over to look at the Sorcerer in Training. Stephen nodded to a mirror on the wall beside the door. "Looks like you could still use a few hours."

"No. What I need is to get out of here," Clint argued. Stephen glanced at Pietro for support. Realizing he wasn't going to get the help he thought he would, Pietro looked back to Clint.

"It honestly can't hurt," Pietro started to say. Clint scoffed and shook his head. He was not going to be lying around anymore. No. He was not going to delay the battle anymore. No more collecting heroes to help, he was done with that. Everyone had their own agendas and they may never settle right with Clint's. He'd do this on his own if he had too.

"Have any of you thought that there might be a time table to fix this?" Clint muttered under his breath. Pietro frowned and glanced over to Stephen. Stephen's face went blank. "That this whole world could become permanent in say... An hour?"

"Son of a-" Pietro mumbled, cutting himself off before actually swearing. He growled, mostly to himself as he thought over Clint's words. Only one person would have the answer. In a flash, Pietro was gone. Clint sat up quickly, ignoring the dizzy spell again as he worked to get to his feet. Stephen shifted into the room to stop Clint but wondered where Pietro had gone off too.

"Follow him!" Clint commanded as if Stephen could have seen which way Pietro had gone. Stephen nodded and turned to take off after the teen but stopped when he heard a body crashing to the floor. He turned back around to see Clint struggling to get up. With a groan, Stephen helped Clint up and they headed off in the direction they thought the speedster had gone. Neither man mentioning how much the archer relied on the sorcerer to put one foot in front of the other.

* * *

"How can you be telling him to rest if he may be running out of time?" Pietro's shout carried down the hall to Stephen and Clint. Clint shoved off Stephen and put on a burst of speed to round the corner and enter what looked to be the Ancient One's training room or meditation hall. Pietro was being held aloft in a ball of red energy that obviously Wanda was making. The little witch was deep in concentration and didn't notice the new arrivals to the room. The Ancient One was calmly watching as if the speedster hadn't just tried to attack her.

"This is not dependent on time," the woman calmly stated, her gaze flicking to Clint and Stephen before focusing on the angered teen. She seemed unconcerned about the fact that nearly everyone now in the room was angry with her for one reason or another and they could easily gang up on her and win.

"How do you know that? How are you so sure?" Pietro shouted, banging his fists on his sister's magical shield. Wanda winced with each hit but the shield held strong. Clint frowned, glaring at the Ancient One for making the twins fight each other.

"PIETRO! ENOUGH!" Clint roared into the room. Pietro stilled and Wanda's eyes snapped open in surprise at his appearance. Amazingly, she never lost control of the ball holding Pietro aloft. A sign that Clint registered her as having learned a great deal from the Ancient One. "Wanda."

Without reply, Wanda gently lowered the shielded ball to the ground before releasing it. Pietro stumbled a step toward the two women when it vanished but didn't continue in his quest to attack the Ancient One. It was in that moment that Clint seemed to lose his adrenaline and nearly fell over. Pietro flashed over to the archer's side and caught him before anyone else could really notice. Clint gave the speedster a relieved smile even as his mind wondered what was happening to his body. More than just the magic must be affecting him.

"She knows more than she's telling us," Pietro whispered as if Clint didn't already know that fact. Clint nodded and turned a darker glare at the woman he was now deeming as holding him captive.

"I know more than you need to know," the Sorcerer Supreme mentioned as if that helped the matter. Pietro took a threatening step forward which made Wanda raise her hand up to magically stop her twin. Clint shifted to block the speedster's path and hold him back. Taking the archer's silent advice, Pietro backed down. Stephen slipped further into the room and stood between the combatants like he was neutral ground.

"I said enough," Clint warned the teen as he gave Wanda a look that made her drop her hands. The Ancient One smiled at the fact even as Clint centered his glare back on her. "If you won't tell me what I need to know, I'll leave."

"Even if no one follows?" she questioned as if the archer knew what his next step was going to be. Clint nodded, determined to leave this place as soon as possible. For a moment, the woman stared at the archer, almost daring him to back down. Clint's eyes narrowed as he realized she was testing him. After a moment, the Ancient One smiled. "Exactly what I needed to hear."

"What?" Pietro shouted. "What just happened?"

"If you wouldn't mind. I can only tell you this," the Sorcerer Supreme stated, ignoring Pietro. Clint frowned. He really didn't want to be in a room alone with this woman again. It wasn't just that he didn't trust her but... Well, he didn't trust her not to use magic on him once more. Wanda must have sensed his displeasure.

"No," the teen called. The Ancient One looked to her, surprised. Almost as if the woman had thought that after training, Wanda would trust all her decisions. Wanda shifted herself to stand in front of the mystic. It now looked like everyone was siding against the old woman. Clint noticed a twinge of what looked to be fear before the mystic was able to calm herself back down. "No more secrets."

"You do not understand," the Ancient One tried to argue. Wanda shook her head before the woman could elaborate.

"No. I don't think you do," Wanda countered. The Sorcerer Supreme frowned. "We don't trust you. No... We can't fully trust you. By only telling Clint what is going to happen, you could potentially manipulate the world to how you desire it to be and not what it's supposed to be. By telling all of us, one of us could pick up on it."

"I see," the woman stated, her eyes going slightly dark. Stephen frowned and stepped forward. It took Clint a moment to realize that the Sorcerer in Training was seeing something wrong with his mentor. Wanda shifted a step back but didn't fully stand down. Her hands were twitching, ready to throw up a defensive spell if needed. Pietro leaned down, ready to run at his sister's silent command. Clint itched to have his bow and arrow with him but they had been damaged in the crash the day prior. "Hydra."

"What?" Clint muttered. The Ancient One looked right at Clint.

"Hydra has the item you need to fix the world," she told him. Clint frowned.

"Where?" he wondered, having mostly assumed that Hydra was the ones behind this whole mess in the first place. He was truly shocked when the Ancient One shrugged her shoulders. "Wait, so that's it? All you had to tell me was that Hydra has whatever did this?"

"Not quite but it is all I am willing to say on the subject," she replied. Clint scoffed and turned away from her. As he started to walk away, Pietro turned and followed. Wanda was next before finally Stephen shook his head and turned to follow the group as well. "Archer. Be warned. Your magic will be needed. Train with Stephen and Wanda on your journey!"

Clint didn't even turn around. But he did raise his arm and flip her off. Pietro quickly mimicked the gesture. Wanda and Stephen didn't even turn around. The group slowly headed back to the room that Clint had spent the past eighteen or so hours in. Once there, he collapsed onto the bed with a groan.

"I'm sorry," Stephen said, closing the door behind him to give them all some privacy. Clint didn't even look up. Wanda sat down on the edge of the bed next to the archer and raised her hand to see if she could help before hesitating and then dropping it back down onto the bed. Pietro reoccupied the chair he had been in. "It had seemed like there was more she wanted to say."

"Yeah, like make me a fucking magic user," Clint grunted into the cushions. His voice was slightly muffled but the trio could tell what he had said.

"Believe me, we argued about that," Stephen soothed. Clint turned over slightly so he could glare at the sorcerer. "I did not want to even tell you about the magic, praying that someone in the other reality that you were closer too could do it instead. But she insisted that you needed to know."

"Yeah, well... Fuck her," Clint hissed.

"Are you feeling okay?" Wanda mumbled, changing the subject. Clint rubbed his face no into the bed. She glanced over to Stephen with concern in her eyes. The sorcerer frowned. "What's wrong?"

"Feel like I've been drugged," Clint admitted, another side effect. He was too truthful. Wanda chuckled then.

"Means you're still tired," she told him. Clint twisted to glare at her. "Don't worry. I won't make you rest. Just recommend it."

"What's our next move?" Pietro asked. This time Clint shifted to sit up on the bed.

"We talk to Phil."

* * *

Convincing Stephen to bring the group back to the crashed jet was harder than Clint first thought it would be. The sorcerer could not believe that Clint had left the only source of communication with Coulson back there. It made no sense to Stephen that the archer, even distracted by crashing and magic, would have willingly left such an item behind. Also didn't help that Wanda and Pietro seemed to agree with Stephen. They didn't want to go back to the jet either. While they didn't voice why they didn't want to, Clint could only assume it had to do with Hydra. If anyone had found the wreckage, Hydra would know and be watching it. After threatening to ask another person to portal him to the site, Clint finally won. No one wanted Clint to potentially be captured.

"I can look faster if you just tell me what to look for," Pietro called for the fifteenth time. Clint sighed deeply as he glanced back at the teen. Stephen and Wanda were patiently waiting at the edge of the jet watching but the archer could tell they were just as annoyed with him as Pietro. The longer they stayed there, the higher risk of an ambush. Clint could feel the tension but tried to ignore it.

"I've described it already," the archer scoffed, turning back to move a misplaced box. He hadn't realized how messy the jet had become during the crash. In fact, much of his memory from the moments after the crash and even waking were blurred. He remembered Wanda or Pietro mentioning Stephen needing help, the Sorcerer Supreme coming and talking with him but the full details were pretty much lost to him.

"A comm that doesn't look like a comm is not a very good description," Wanda argued. Clint shrugged. There was simply no way to describe it.

"Well, I don't know what to… Wait! Got it!" Clint triumphantly cried as he pulled an old looking device from a box. The trio behind him analyzed it. It looked like a mix of a hearing aid and almost like a feeding tube or something. Wanda could see why it was hard to describe. Pietro wondered how that thing could be a comm while Stephen smirked.

"Is that a hearing aid? How is the world is that going to help?" Wanda muttered, even angrier than before. She half wondered if Clint was insane.

"I told you. It's a comm but-"

"Not a comm," the trio mocked. Clint pouted for a moment before he thought about how annoying he must have sounded. Had Cooper or Lila said that same thing over and over to him, he'd be just as upset with them. Thinking about them brought a spark of sadness before being overcome with intense desire to fix what happened to them. He shook his head and placed the comm into his ear. Seeing it fit into his ear the others could tell that it must have been an old hearing aid that S.H.I.E.L.D modified to also be a communicator.

"Coulson? Coulson can you read me?" Clint asked, ignoring the others as he listened for his old friend. He kept repeating the statement over and over every few seconds for the next few minutes. Pietro shifted in agitation after the third call while Wanda and Stephen turned away, scanning the area as if someone might soon attack them.

"I don't think he can hear you," Pietro mumbled, bouncing on his heels in a rather bored state. Clint turned and gave the teen an unimpressed look.

"He may not be listening in right now," the archer countered, determined to prove the teen wrong. So much depended on Clint getting a hold of Coulson that he couldn't fail. Pietro shrugged as if he didn't understand that Clint was hoping Coulson could give them their next step to fix this problem. Clint gave one last pathetic attempt before sighing. Suddenly a thought flew into his head and he half wondered if Wanda had dug around for this before deciding he didn't care. "We need to go to D.C."

"Why there?" Stephen wondered, the first he had spoken since bringing them to this site.

"In my reality, S.H.I.E.L.D built these Triskillions. They have the ability to pinpoint people and kill them by just a simple program. Hydra will be in control of it here."

"If they are ready, why aren't they using them?" Wanda pointed out. Pietro glanced into the sky like he'd be able to see an incoming bullet and stop it from piercing Clint's forehead or chest. Clint shrugged before groaning lightly. It made sense that if they were operational that Hydra would have already used it on him and many others. So, what could be happening? And was Hydra even building them in this reality?

"Look, I have no idea what I'm doing. No idea what to do next. I'm kinda hoping someone could just point me in the right direction," Clint said. "I'm normally a follower. Others just tell me where to go and what to do when I get there."

"Strange being in the lead?" Stephen lightly chuckled. Clint grimaced.

"Eye opening for sure," the archer admitted. After a moment he sighed once again. "We should probably find shelter or something."

"If you don't mind… I can open a portal to my apartment in New York," Stephen suggested. For a moment, Clint looked ready to shut down the idea. But then the archer looked around at the damaged Quinjet. Slowly, he nodded, not even willing to try and calm his now raging anxiety. Less than two minutes later, Clint was staring out a window to the view of Stark Tower in the distance. Wanda and Pietro headed off into the apartment to find the kitchen and bathroom respectfully while Stephen waited a bit behind Clint. Sensing the other presence and wanting to be distracted, Clint spoke.

"That sign was mostly destroyed in the battle of New York," he commented. Stephen stepped forward to see the large letters on the side of the tower. They spelled out 'Stark' and Stephen personally knew there was a smaller 'Industries' sign written underneath that not many people were aware of. "Only the 'A' stayed. Tony thought it was cool, so he never fixed it."

"A for the Avengers?" Stephen asked, accepting that Clint wanted to be distracted. Clint nodded.

"Tony came up with that too."

"I'm guessing you miss them," Stephen commented. Clint snorted, looking down to the street level.

"I almost miss them more than my wife and kids…" Stephen raised an eyebrow at that. "Maybe it's that my mind separated the ones I saw die from my real family or… Well, I've been away from them on missions before. But… Since the Avengers formed… I'm not usually without one of them."

"Understandable," Stephen muttered. Clint turned to look at him.

"Does that make me a bad father?" Stephen nearly shrugged. Not being a father himself, the Sorcerer felt odd judging Clint. But he realized that Clint needed confirmation that it was okay to feel how he felt. Not if Stephen agreed or disagreed. Stephen sighed deeply and moved closer to Clint.

"I can't say I've been in a similar situation but… I think you are a great father. Rather than grieving this version of your family right now, you are working hard to bring them back. You aren't able to correctly grieve as you are determined to win in the end." For a long moment Clint and Stephen just stared at each other. As Stephen began to rethink his words, Clint raised an eyebrow.

"Are you saying I'm not grieving cause I'm too stubborn to lose them?" Clint summarized. Stephen chuckled.

"Something like that," the Sorcerer carefully replied with a shrug of his shoulders. Clint's eyebrow raised a bit higher as he thought over the words. In a weird way, it made sense. He couldn't grieve a family that he knew was safe and alive in his reality. But his friends, they could still be in danger in both realities. That's why he was so worried about them.

"Barton?" a voice suddenly called into his ear. Clint nearly jumped in surprise and attack Stephen before he realized it was the comm in his ear that was speaking. Coulson was finally getting back to him. He placed his hand to his ear to activate the comm. Stephen smiled.

"Coulson."

"Just got back from a mission and got notice that your Quinjet crashed," Coulson stated as if it was news to Clint. Stephen nodded, understanding that this should be a private conversation, before turning to the rest of the apartment to check on the twins. Wanda was working on making food and Pietro was being a nuisance. Clint smiled and turned away from the trio and looked out the window.

"We're fine now. Did you find Cap?" Clint asked. There was a pause. "Coulson?"

"Well… We found the ship but… Captain America wasn't in the pilot's seat," Coulson reported. Clint felt his heart stop. Any number of things could have happened, hell, Cap could have never piloted the ship in the first place. But all Clint could think was that Hydra got to him first and are now working on making new super soldiers. Coulson's next words were part relief and part horror. "Someone got there first."

"Shit," Clint cussed. Steve's worse fear could be coming true. "I need to find Hydra, now…"

"We have some leads," Coulson suggested. Clint sighed. He could tell by Coulson's tone that he didn't believe in them or liked the potential outcome of going after some of these leads. "Not sure if it will help."

"Anything would at this point," Clint replied. Even if it led them into a trap, it was a better start than what Clint had now. Right now, he seemed to be waiting for Hydra to do something in the open but they had spent so long in the shadows, Clint might not ever be able to find them.

"Where can we meet?" Clint blanched at the idea of seeing Coulson and his crew again. One of them was a traitor and well… To be honest, he didn't need a ride anymore. He glanced toward Stephen even as the thought crossed his mind. As much as magic bothered him, it was a faster and more surprising way to travel.

"Just e-mail me," the archer finally said. There was a pause that Clint could tell was filled with surprise and betrayal. Coulson had no idea why he'd refuse to see him after everything.

"Don't you need a ride?" Coulson asked sounding rather desperate to see the archer. Clint grimaced.

"I uh… Got that covered." Another pause followed that. Clint smirked. He loved when he shocked Coulson into silence.

"What?" Clint chuckled.

"Dr. Strange met up with us."

"Stephen Strange?" Coulson questioned. Clint hummed a yes. "The mystic?"

"Sorcerer," Clint corrected without even thinking about it. He nearly laughed aloud when he could basically hear Coulson's eyes roll in annoyance. It felt good messing with his handler/friend again. Even if it might not last…

"How did you get his help? We haven't been able to find him," Coulson mentioned, not commenting on Clint's correction. This time Clint couldn't stop his snort of humor in time.

"He actually came to me. Honestly, if he hadn't come Wanda, Pietro and I would have been killed," Clint calmly commented, his mind focusing on the fact that they lived and not that they almost died. Coulson's bark of 'What?' though made Clint realize he should be taking it more seriously. Clint shrugged. "Strange teleported us out of a Hydra attack."

"You know what, I'm done… I'll e-mail you the cords," Coulson snipped at him, his attitude completely changing. Clint frowned before realizing someone Coulson didn't trust must have dropped by the man's office.

"Got it," Clint responded, a signal to Coulson that he wanted to hear what was going to happen next. There was a shuffle on the other side of the comm as if Coulson was turning off the item before he spoke again.

"Agent Ward is there something I can help you with?" Coulson called. Clint pressed the comm harder into his ear so that he could hear what Ward responded with.

"Wondering if you heard from Agent Barton."

"No," Coulson lied. Clint half wondered why Grant cared when the other man continued.

"Oh… Well, there is a rumor that his jet crashed while we were out."

"Just that agent, a rumor," Coulson stated. Clint couldn't stop the chuckle from escaping. He loved listening to Coulson lying. Coulson cleared his throat. "Is that all?"

"Uh no… Fitz and Simmons… I uh… Thought their results would have been back by now," Grant evaded. Clint frowned. Was he talking about the test on him? He thought they had already gotten the results when he left.

"They are currently inconclusive," Coulson muttered. Clint's frown deepened. He was itching to ask what was going on but needed to wait till Coulson was alone again.

"Are they running them again?" Grant wondered. Clint really wished he knew what the duo was talking about. Not knowing was bothering him more than it ever used to.

"Not that I am currently aware of," Coulson said, sounding unconcerned so Clint tried to relax. Apparently these tests weren't important. There was a long pause in which Clint could almost picture Grant and Coulson staring each other down. Then there was a distant noise that the archer couldn't distinguish before Coulson sighed deeply. "I should get back to work, Clint."

"What tests?" Clint asked before the other man disconnected the line. Coulson sighed again but this time less deeply than before. Clint frowned wondering what was happening in the background.

"Tests to prove that Hydra beat us to Rogers and that he might still be alive," Coulson mumbled. Clint nearly fell into a nearby seat. Wanda perked up and looked to him but all the archer did was shake his head. He wasn't ready to talk about it yet. She nodded and went back to what she was doing. Stephen frowned but he was the only other one to notice.

"Inconclusive?"

"Well. It was Hydra who beat us but… They can't yet tell if Rogers was alive or dead when taken. Don't worry, I will keep you posted but it's a tough fight. We've noticed the logs are getting hacked by someone, they were tracking your jet," Coulson warned. Clint nodded, having assumed that's how Hydra found him. He planned on making Stephen and Wanda go through the rest of his gear to find any trackers and destroy them.

"Thanks," Clint replied even as he moved to shut down the comm.

"Clint," Coulson called before he could. The archer hummed. "Be careful and good luck."

* * *

 **Wow... I am a totally horrible person. It has been nearly two months since I last posted. So much has happened since then. My husband lost a job (thankfully he was working two at the time so we are still okay for now), I got put on some medication that erased my creativity, Darius is now getting Early Intervention for his lack of communication skills, and Clint is getting close to being potentially overweight thanks to his grandparents not listening to me about watching his diet. Hopefully things will return to normal soon. Just got put on another new med earlier today and so we** **'ll see if that helps. With Early Intervention visiting, maybe soon Darius can start letting me do things around the house without watching him 24/7. And maybe I can get some exercise in with Clint so we both can loose weight together!**

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Sammygirl1963 - Ha, stop writing Clint and the Avengers. I doubt that will happen for a long time. Tee hee, Clint really does hate magic in every forum I've ever followed him in. Maybe because he usually doesn't end up on the better side of magic whenever it crosses his path. Remember, the Sorcerer Supreme said everyone has magic in them, they just may never be able to harness it. Thanks for the advice with Darius. Tried ignoring him and he just got violent with me so now I got a whole lot of bruises and many doctors asking if I feel safe at home, lol. But as stated above, he's got Early Intervention coming to help him and me out in the long run. Thanks for waiting and sorry it took so long.


	11. How Many Strays You Keeping?

Clint sighed deeply. While it sucked that Hydra had Steve, he was partly relieved to know what was going on with him. The not knowing seemed to have bothered him more than the knowing, even if it was the worst situation for the man. Honestly, Clint hadn't realized that he had been so stressed with not knowing what had happened to his captain. Wanda looked over from her cooking and noticed that the archer was done talking to whoever he had been speaking with. She gave him a warm smile that Clint didn't notice as he was searching the living room for something.

"So?" she asked, wondering how the conversation went. She had been nice and not spied on the archer unlike Stephen and Pietro. Not that either man knew what was really said as they only heard half the conversation but it was the thought that counted. Jerked out of his thoughts, Clint looked over to see not only Wanda looking at him but Stephen and Pietro as well. He groaned, knowing that he didn't really get anywhere with Coulson on what his next step should be.

"Not much… Got some leads, but don't really know," Clint told them. He focused on Stephen. "Got a computer round here?"

"Better than we had before," Pietro joked even as Stephen pointed to an armoire that Clint hadn't noticed. The archer nodded as he headed over to it. Upon opening it, he was surprised to see it suddenly shift into a regular looking desk. Stephen shrugged when the archer traded a look with him. It was something the Supreme Sorcerer had given to him. When Stephen received it, it already had the cloaking spell in bedded inside it. Clint shook his head and opened the laptop that now was clearly visible on the desktop. It was already in a standby mode so turning it on was easy, getting to S.H.I.E.L.D's secure e-mail site was even easier. As Clint logged into his account, Stephen moved into living room. From what looked to be a coffee table or a chest of drawers, a hidden TV appeared. Pietro raised an eyebrow in surprise at the sudden appearance. "Really?"

"Hey, I was normal until I got into that crash. Just cause I have these powers doesn't mean I don't miss normal entertainment now and then," Strange laughed as he turned the TV on. Wanda shook her head. As much as she wanted to not admit it, Pietro thought the same thing of her own abilities. No matter how much she explained that she couldn't watch _Once Upon a Time_ or _Walking Dead_ in her head, Pietro still asked. And when he was really bored, he'd ask for hints on upcoming _Game of Thrones_ episodes.

" _Breaking news, a terrorist spy was just found at Culver University in Virginia,_ " called a male reporter on whatever station Stephen had last left the TV on. Clint's head jerked up. He knew that university. Why did he know that university? Wanda glanced over at Clint, sensing the random turmoil in his mind for a moment. Pietro scoffed at the TV and turned to steal some of the food that Wanda was cooking. Stephen frowned at the TV and moved to grab the remote to change the channel. Clint finally turned to look. The building seemed even more familiar to Clint but he still couldn't place it until the reporter continued on. " _Dr. Bruce Banner is-_ "

"HEY!" Clint cried as Stephen changed the channel halfway through the report. Stephen nearly jumped as he turned to see what the archer wanted. Pietro froze with a piece of meat hanging halfway to his mouth. Wanda paused, looking to Clint then Stephen and finally to Pietro, whom she smacked for stealing some of the partially uncooked food. Clint focused on Stephen now. "Go back."

Stephen quickly turned the channel back but now the news reporter was silent as he let the images speak for themselves. On the screen was a rather large crowd of college students watching the marching of six local police officers. In the center of the officers was a rather sedate looking Bruce Banner. While sedate and moving steadily with the officers, Banner still seemed distraught and almost like he was about to start crying. Clint stiffened as he focused on the screen. Pietro glanced between the screen and Clint while Wanda and Stephen just focused on the broadcast.

" _Please! I didn't do anything! I'm not a terrorist!_ " Bruce begged but still steadily moved along. The officers began roughing up their treatment of him even as he begged and continued to proclaim innocence. Clint frowned even as his eyes narrowed to glare.

"Isn't that one of your friends?" Wanda questioned softly, moving closer to Clint as if he needed her comfort right then. Pietro shifted his weight between his feet in concern while Stephen turned to watch the archer. Clint sighed deeply, making it sound more like a growl of annoyance than anything.

"Banner had a lab accident early in his career. It… It made it that when he got angry, he became a green giant named Hulk," Clint explained as one officer pushed Bruce a little too hard and the scientist stumbled to the ground. They then roughly dragged him to his feet. Clint hissed in anger when he noticed they had now cracked one of the lenses on Bruce's glasses. Slowly, they dragged Bruce to a black van. Clint's frown deepened as the doc was shuffled inside. Without the attention of Bruce to show, the cameraman moved to get a better angle on the vehicle and ended up showed the side of the van. A rather large S.H.I.E.L.D emblem was painted there in dark gray paint. While it slightly seemed to match well in the dark paint, Clint could see it clear as day. He cussed in anger. Stephen turned to see the emblem while Wanda and Pietro frowned at the sight as well.

"I'm guessing that's not actually S.H.I.E.L.D," Stephen more stated than asked. Clint shrugged. So far all he could see was the local police officers from that area. But judging by everything that had been happening lately, the archer could only assume that Stephen was right. Hydra now not only had Steve, but they had Bruce as well. This was a show of their power. While Clint could try all he wanted to fix this world, they could easily collect his old friends and kill them here. And it would be his fault.

"We gonna rescue him?" Pietro asked as the news reporter came back on to give an update on more information that they had gotten. Clint tuned it out as he tried to figure out what the next step should be. The news now was just more lies that Hydra was spreading to justify collecting a member of the Avengers (well, a member of society considering the Avengers didn't exist). Clint half wondered how they'd be able to get Tony before shaking the thought from his head. Tony was safe…

"You know it'd be a trap," Stephen pointed out as he turned down the volume on the TV. Clint nodded, not looking at anyone in the group. He was still distracted by his thoughts on what to do and so he missed the other three trading a look. Stephen focused back on Clint first. "You still want to save him, don't you?"

"As much as Bruce doesn't remember me, or the Avengers… He doesn't deserve what happened to him. It was bad enough he couldn't work in the science community, now marking him as a traitor. It's just too far," Clint grumbled as if the others didn't understand. Stephen nodded, looking to be mentally preparing himself for a battle that looked like they might not win. Clint glanced around and noticed that Pietro and Wanda were doing the same. He frowned. This wasn't right.

"So… Where we off too?" Pietro wondered, shifting his weight back in forth in anticipation. Clint sighed. As much as it seemed like a good idea to try and go help Bruce, there was something about it that struck Clint as wrong. Almost like this was a distraction. Well, of course it was a trap but… Clint wondered if it was something else as well. Shaking his head in a decisive manner, Clint spun back around to the laptop and scanned over the data Coulson had sent to him. Stephen turned to Pietro, figuring Clint was working on a strategy for them.

"They wouldn't want to bring him too far, so they should stay around the city," Stephen suggested.

"Well, they could go to Washington…" Wanda mentioned. But as Clint stared over the data, he was surprised to find no base for Hydra near the university. Heck, there wasn't even one near New York. Clint frowned and continued looking through all the different sites.

"Would they bring him to a S.H.I.E.L.D base?" Pietro inquired. Clint paled. There was a base in Washington D.C. The same base that Steve and Natasha had brought down when they first announced S.H.I.E.L.D to the world in his reality. He must have made a noise or done something cause suddenly everyone was looking at him. "What?"

"Give me a minute," Clint hissed, trying to ignore the looks he was getting from the others. He stalked off down the hall before pausing a moment. Right now he needed a phone.

"There is a phone in the bedroom, second door on the right," Stephen called out as if he understood what Clint needed. The archer didn't reply but he did head toward the room that the mystic had told him about. Thankfully no one followed him. Once he was alone, Clint grabbed the phone that the man had mentioned and dialed a number long ago memorized.

"Who the fuck is this and how did you get this number?" Fury's voice snapped over the line after the first ring. Clint chuckled, it was the man's typical greeting whenever the archer called. Hearing it now, it felt wonderful and relieving all at the same time.

"Did you order Banner to be taken in as a traitor?" Clint questioned, skipping over an annoying argument that would last a few minutes. Fury grunted. Apparently he wasn't going to let it drop that easily. Honestly the archer wasn't surprised.

"Clint? How did you ever get-" Fury started to state. Again, typical of their normal banter. Clint shook his head as if Fury could see him. He didn't have time for this anymore. No matter how wonderful it felt to have something normal happen.

"Did you label Banner a traitor?" There was a long pause. One in which Clint half wondered if Fury had simply hung up. The Director had done that to Clint before. And if he did it now, Clint would be more than annoyed at the man.

"No," the man finally stated. "The World Security Council did. Hill sent a small team that she trusted rather than whom they chose."

"Was it Alexander Pierce?" Clint growled darkly, already picturing the man's head on a spike. In his world, Natasha and Steve swore that he was the newest leader of Hydra. Or at least one of the many heads. Clint wouldn't be shocked if he was here as well. Fury's non reply of surprise was answer enough for Clint. The archer cussed. "He's Hydra."

"Clint, I'm sorry. There isn't much I can do. He convinced the entire council," Fury explained. Clint cussed again and drew the phone away from himself. He cussed more and more, trying to find some sort of calm. After a moment, he returned to the phone. Fury was ready. "They tried to get Stark too but…"

"Stark builds our tech," Clint finished, having seen that information before. Fury hummed in agreement. "What are they doing now?"

"A team of their choice is watching him."

"Who?"

"S.T.R.I.K.E."

"Rumlow? He's never been good at spying!" Clint cried, amazingly not surprised that Hydra was watching Tony. But he was glad to hear that Tony was protected simply by being a weapons manufacturer. As much as the Tony from his reality would hate this, Clint wasn't going to change anything. Fury sighed.

"Look, I'll do what I can for Banner and Stark but-"

"There isn't much. I get it," Clint hissed as if it made a difference. He sighed. This wasn't Fury's fault. Even before Hydra was announced as part of S.H.I.E.L.D, Fury was always at the whim and fife of the World Security Council. "Thanks."

"Just fix this," Fury demanded as if he knew the other reality was best for everyone. Clint snorted and hung up before either one of them could say anything else sentimental. Glad that Bruce was going to be watched over by Fury and people he trusted, Clint was back to situation one. Which Hydra base had what he needed? As he moved to go back to the information dump, something made him stop and look out the window to the high rise in the background. Half a second later, pain flared in his right shoulder. The same area that his heart had been in only moments before.

"FUCK!" Clint shouted even as the force of what hit him made him drop to the ground. A second something skimmed past Clint's face, making the archer glad that he was falling down. As he landed, his brain caught up to what was happening. It made sense just as a hail of bullets entered into the room. Clint grabbed at his shoulder, pissed that someone was attacking him and he had no idea who it currently was. But, judging by the shooting pattern, the person was either a bad shot or not used to the weapon they were using. The archer could tell it was an automatic gun based on the speed at which the bullets ripped into the room. Actually, it rather much reminded him of a new gun that Stark Industries had been working on before Tony came back from Afghanistan in his reality. Over here, Tony must have perfected it. "Shit."

"CLINT!" Wanda screeched before entering the room. Clint spun in time to see the door wrench open before a wall of red entered. Then Wanda and Stephen entered the room. There was a blur and then Pietro appeared in the room opposite of Clint and behind a couch. Wanda's shield easily held off the hail of bullets but at her arrival, the bullets started to focus more on her. That gave Clint a quick chance to sit up from his position and spot where the shooter was from. He ducked down in time for the bed to explode into a cloud of fluff.

"Pietro," the archer called over the noise. If there was a response, Clint didn't hear nor could he see if Pietro heard him. "Five blocks down, thirty stories, five from the top, third room."

The fluff suddenly cleared and blew past Wanda and Stephen. Stephen was frowning at Clint before understanding what the archer intended for the teen. He turned around and opened a portal before stepping through after the young speedster. Moments later the shooting stopped. Wanda waited a minute more before ending her use of her shield and rushing over to Clint's side.

"Jesus, you're hurt," she said as if Clint couldn't notice what happened. The archer grimaced as the witchling began to look over the damage.

"A through and through. Don't worry," Clint grunted, sadly knowing the difference between various types of gun shots. Wanda frowned, knowing exactly that that was what Clint had meant. Deciding it was better not to comment, Wanda carefully grabbed for some cloth that had been blown to pieces and started to tie the wound closed. Clint groaned and leaned back, mad at himself for getting shot. Just as she finished tying the knot, a portal opened back in the doorway. Clint immediately tensed and sat up while Wanda readied her shield to protect the two of them. Stephen stepped through with a young man. His ragged hair covered his eyes but Clint didn't need to see that to know who it was. The silver metal arm that Stephen held did it for him. Pietro sped through a second before the portal closed. "Bucky Barnes."

"Name's Winter Soldier," the man growled, shifting to make his shoulder a little more comfortable. Clint rolled his eyes. Natasha had mentioned to him after her first meeting with Bucky that he was the same way.

"Should've known," Clint sighed deeply. Winter Soldier had been controlled by Hydra since Captain America first thought to have destroyed it. Even in this reality, Steve existed, so why wouldn't Bucky? And Winter Soldier was a ghost story of all assassins. But then he looked at where he was shot. Bucky was a better shot then this. So… Why did he miss so bad? Clint then glanced over Stephen and Pietro, both men looked fine other than a little flustered from a quick and easy fight. Stephen looked between Clint and Bucky in surprise.

"I think I am missing something," the sorcerer commented, pushing Bucky into a nearby chair. The movement made Strange's containment magic glint in the light. Clint almost smirked in respect. He had half wondered how Stephen and Pietro had kept the Winter Soldier so calm. "You guys friends or something?"

"Not really. Bucky was… Is Steve's best friend during the war. He went missing on a mission, assumed killed… But Red Skull aka Johann Shmidt, the leader of Hydra, found him. They tortured him and brainwashed him into being the Winter Soldier. An impressive assassin and sniper that many believed to be a ghost story for a long time," Clint explained. Stephen raised an eyebrow and looked to the man he and Pietro had captured. With that impressive of a resume, how had they taken him down without any injury?

"My name is Winter Soldier," Bucky snarled but something in the man's eyes glinted. Clint tilted his head curiously as he stared at the man. After dealing with Natasha and his own mind control with Loki, Clint could almost see Bucky trying to break through the Winter Soldier persona that Hydra created. Remembering that feeling, Clint glanced over to Wanda. He wasn't going to let Bucky suffer if there was something that could be done.

"Wanda, can you-" Clint asked, cutting himself off as he didn't fully understand what he was asking her to do. He couldn't ask her to break all the brainwashing… That might do more damage than good but could she take off the most recent? Wanda smiled, understanding what Clint wanted even though the archer did not. She moved to stand behind Bucky and placed her hands on either side of his head. Bucky had a moment of shock and relief on his face before Wanda's power flared on either side of his head. Both grimaced in a ton of pain and Clint was about to stop her when Bucky suddenly screamed.

"My… Name… IS… JAMES!" the man screamed as Wanda helped break the brainwashing done to him. Both of them then screamed and Wanda let go. Bucky dropped down in the chair, nearly falling out while Wanda stumbled back into the wall behind her.

"WANDA!" Pietro cried, rushing to his sister's side to steady her before she fell to the floor. She was already looking to be mostly clearheaded, better than Bucky for sure but not fully there.

"Oh god!" she moaned, grabbing her head to try and erase whatever memories she accidentally received. Bucky took that moment to start to come back around and shake his head from the remnants of what had last been in his head. Clint slowly stood up and moved closer to Bucky.

"Bucky?" Clint questioned, figuring the brainwashing had been mostly cleared. He was also using this moment to see how much had cleared. Bucky shook his head again before looking up at Clint. His eyes looked scared and tired.

"Stevie... They... They have Stevie," Bucky stuttered. Clint's blood ran cold. His worst fear for what happened to his friend was realized. Hydra had their perfect Super Soldier. Now they could use Steve's blood to make more. Everything was so much worse than he first thought. "They want you dead."

"Yeah, getting shot by you was my first clue," Clint grumbled, looking back to the wound on his arm. Stephen shifted to see what his limited magic could do to help. Clint tried his best to ignore the man but he could feel the magic and it reminded him a bit too much of Loki. No one missed his flinch. Stephen backed off, the wound still there but now bleeding as much as a paper cut.

"Glad it wasn't a kill shot," Bucky grunted. Clint smirked.

"He's apparently hard to kill," Pietro mumbled, helped Wanda move to the destroyed bed by Clint in an effort to help her. She moved slowly and was still lost in whatever she had gotten from Bucky but she looked a bit better. Clint shifted to help her and steady her. As soon as his fingers touched her skin though, his mind was buffeted by pain, anger, and fear. He quickly let go, shocked.

"Maximoffs... Retrieval by any means necessary," Bucky droned as if he were a computer. Clint frowned and glanced between Bucky and the twins. Pietro stiffened but Wanda didn't seem to notice. Bucky shook his head again, trying to get rid of the new program information that popped into his head. It was gonna take awhile before he'd be able to break it all. After a moment, Clint couldn't help but cuss. He had forgotten that Hydra was the ones who gave the twins their powers. They must have escaped their handlers in order to come and help him. And naturally, Hydra would want them back.

"Fascinating... Am I the only one who didn't piss these people off?" Stephen joked into order to release some of the built up tension in the room. Clint turned to glare at him, not pleased. Bucky looked up to the sorcerer and was partly stunned that Stephen was right. He had no pre-programmed information on the man.

"Don't worry. You will soon," Bucky stiffly told him. Stephen nearly looked like he paled. Bucky shook his head again and leaned back in the chair. Clint looked to Wanda and saw that she didn't look that improved.

"Stephen, is there a place Wanda can rest?" he asked. Stephen nodded and moved to help Pietro bring her to the second spare room on the other end of the hall. Why Stephen had such a big place, Clint didn't even want to think about but then again, Clint wasn't the type to go on frivolous spending sprees like many rich people he knew. Bucky looked up at Clint and the archer watched the assassin's eyes flash. The programming may have been pushed to the back, but it was still there.

"Don't stay in here with me," he snarled. Clint frowned before it hit him. Bucky's last program was to kill him. If the archer stayed there, it would be harder for Bucky to continue fighting it. Clint nodded and left the room, carefully not putting his back to Bucky which the man seemed far too grateful for. Clint paused in the hall.

"I would close the door but… I think you broke it," Clint said as he shifted what remained of the doorway to show that it was barely a sliver left. Bucky couldn't help but give a quick laugh at that. Clint smirked, glad he helped the man in that small way. Bucky nodded and tried to shift but Stephen's containment magic flared and the man couldn't move. "The magic will hold. I'll give you a bit before coming back."

"Thanks," Bucky whispered so lightly that Clint nearly missed it. Knowing that Bucky was showing a bit of weakness there, Clint simply nodded and left. He met Stephen in the living room.

"What are we doing now?" the sorcerer asked. Clint sighed and rubbed his right hand across his face. Stephen smirked. "You have no idea."

"None… But something about Bucky... I just feel like he has the answers we need," Clint told the man. Stephen nodded.

"He is giving off a similar aura to yourself." Clint frowned at that and looked at Stephen. The sorcerer shrugged and walked off. Still thinking about what Stephen said, Clint turned and looked back toward the room that Bucky was in. Could all of Hydra know about the other reality?

* * *

 **Ugh… Nearly another whole month went by without a post from me... Jeez. I am horrible. Currently ill while typing this and wishing I could just rest. But so is the life of a stay at home mother when husband has to work a dang double cause the second job doesn** **'t understand 'please no more doubles'. CAN I WIN THE LOTTERY!? Please….**

 **Anyways, Clint and Darius are doing well. Not sure if I mentioned this before but Clint is officially potty trained and doing well. Accidents are rare and usually the fault of the adult in charge rather than Clint. Darius is getting Early Intervention for a few different traits that he's behind in. Since getting treatment for the past few weeks, he's already done so much better with using words. Many are coming and going still but he is retaining more than just two words or so. Just this week learned a new technique in boxing up similar toys into storage containers or gallon Ziploc bags in an effort to keep the house cleaner. Working well but only the third day in, lol. Will update you all whenever I post next…**

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AngelWings98 - Thank you for your well wishes and glad you liked the chapter.

Katie MacAlpine - I loved following your many reviews through the story. I laughed at so many of them. It was great to see you progress throughout the time as you learned more of what was happening. I hope that soon you can understand what is happening and I'm really glad you seem to be enjoying it.

Sammygirl1963 - I'm sorry to hear you had the flu but glad to see you got better. And no, I am totally not basing my posting styles on when you review, it just seems to happen like that, lol. Yes, I am not going to be done with Clint for awhile. Yeah, writing the Supreme Sorceress was a pain in the butt so I'm glad I left her behind. I personally never tend to trust someone who has that much knowledge on something and refuses to share it so that said person or persons can learn a lesson. That just bugs me, so I guess it played off a bit in my writing of her. And I doubt the Ancient One will come back into my writings, but you never know. Hee hee, New York. Pietro is a fun character to play around with as in both Fox's portrayal and Marvel's, he wasn't touched upon much so I can do seemingly whatever I want with him. Yeah, I was upset that Marvel had to kill the GOOD PIETRO as well. Not much we can do about contract fights in the corporate world. Wish the buyout could have happened before Age of Ultron, then the better Pietro would be left alone and not Peter from the Fox's X-Men series… Anyways, glad to make your day with my posts, wish I could be more consistent but very, _very_ limited time to work on anything, let alone writing. Hope to get better soon given my news above.


	12. You Make Stupid Plans

They left Bucky alone for a long while as they each tried to get their heads on straight. Clint was lost in thought over what was happening and what he should be doing. Who knew being a leader could be this hard... Did all of Hydra know about the other reality? Or was it only the higher ups? Who has the ability to do this? Who should he go after? Should he involve Tony, or try and save Steve and now Bruce? What was going to be his next move?

Pietro was pacing the living room as well, subconsciously annoying the crap out of Clint. Ten minutes after Stephen and Clint had left Bucky alone, Wanda asked Pietro to leave her alone so she could sort through everything she accidentally gathered from Bucky. The teen seemed distressed from being separated from his sister but there was nothing anyone could do to help. Wanda need her space and Pietro wasn't anything other than a stress at this point.

Stephen hung out in the attached kitchen, finishing making the food that Wanda has started earlier that day. Amazingly none of it had been ruined by their impromptu attack of Bucky. He was just about finished dealing with it. As he turned to set everything on a plate, something told him to pack it up in a travel container(s) instead. He paused for a moment, frowning in thought before sighing and searching his cabinets for something large enough to allow the food to travel.

"Can we trust him?" Pietro asked, breaking the silence that had surrounded the group. Clint looked up. "Can we trust this guy?"

"Honestly?" Clint half wondered. Pietro nodded. "I don't know."

"What?" Pietro nearly screamed at the archer. Clint shrugged.

"Bucky was… Is Steve's old friend from World War II. The man fell off a train into a ravine where Hydra found him. They brainwashed him into becoming an assassin for them. When he wasn't being used, he was frozen to keep him young and fit. In my reality, we were just starting to look for him. We hadn't found him yet and even then, none of us knew how much he was in control of himself. But Steve wanted to help him in any way possible."

"You realize that he may have betrayed Steven in this reality, right?" Stephen mentioned as if Clint hadn't already thought the same thing. The archer sighed. He really wished someone else was here that could voice the answers to his questions rather than creating new ones. He paused then. Bucky may remember his reality! That's what Stephen may have meant by saying Bucky had an aura similar to the archer! Quickly, Clint jumped to his feet and rushed down to the room with Bucky, who was sitting still thanks to Stephen's spell but was rather harshly bashing his head against the top of the chair. Clint almost moved to stop him before remembering himself coming out of Loki's compulsions all those years ago. The pain helped center himself. It might be the same for Bucky.

"What do you remember?" Clint snapped, bringing Bucky's attention to his presence. Bucky's head jerked up so quickly that Clint could hear the man's neck crack. The assassin didn't seem to care. Neither man noticed Stephen and Pietro appearing in the doorway behind Clint as the archer moved to stand across from Bucky.

"I... Not much really. Flashes... I remember fighting Stevie but also... Also telling him Hydra was good," Bucky admitted. Clint frowned for a minute before remembering what Natasha had told him. While dealing the Hydra invasion of S.H.I.E.L.D, they fought Bucky. It was why Steve wanted to save the man so much. In the final moments of battle, Bucky had saved Steve. A last minute saving grace and a spark of hope that Bucky could be saved.

"You remember the Avengers?" Clint countered wanting affirmation that Bucky did indeed remember the other reality like he did. Bucky frowned, thinking through his scattered mind, before slowly and carefully nodding. Clint nearly cussed. How many people could remember the other reality? Could all of Hydra really know? "Hydra made you tell Steve they were good?"

"They ordered me to make Hydra out as S.H.I.E.L.D," Bucky muttered. Clint snorted.

"In this reality, that's an almost truth. Hydra hasn't been outed yet," Clint mentioned. Bucky made a face and stared at Clint before he got the thoughts right in his head.

"That's why I was ordered to kill you," Bucky guessed. Clint nodded.

"Hydra killed my family and called me a traitor within S.H.I.E.L.D. But Fury and Coulson believed me about Hydra," Clint explained. Bucky shook his head.

"No... No! NO!" he cried still shaking his head. Clint frowned. "Don't tell me anymore! They... They might be listening in."

"They aren't," called Wanda, suddenly appearing in the doorway. She pushed through Stephen and Pietro, ignoring her brother's worried attempt at stopping her. "They can't listen in anymore. I broke that when I broke the command. Hydra has no connection to you."

Clint said nothing as Bucky's shoulder sagged in relief. It was in the moment that archer realized how tense Bucky had been. He frowned and thought to the few times he had seen the Winter Solider in his reality. The man had always been tense. Clint just assumed that was his natural relaxing stance. Wanda moved deeper into the room and kneeled down on the floor in front of Bucky.

"Thank you," the man whispered. Clint glanced over to Stephen, who was watching him intently. He nodded toward Bucky and Stephen frowned for a moment before mouthing 'are you sure'. Clint nodded. Silently, Stephen removed his spell. No one noticed but Stephen and Clint. It was a test, one that Clint hoped Bucky could pass while Stephen readied the containment spell as a just in case.

"The longer you're away from them the better control you'll have over your memories. Things will clear up," Wanda told him. Bucky nodded.

"When they brought Stevie in, it was like a dam broke. They tried to bury it all but," Bucky paused and glanced over at Clint. The archer sighed deeply and looked away. He didn't need to say they tortured him. Their limited control over him had faltered in their attempt to keep Steve alive and convert him to their side. "They threatened Stevie after a while. Said, they'd make him the next Winter Solider. I…"

"Couldn't allow that," Clint finished. Bucky nodded. "I get it. And Bucky, I don't blame you."

"My question is, how can he remember your reality?" Pietro asked after a moment of silence. Everyone looked to the teen in surprise. As they thought about it though, they realized that they had just kinda gone with the flow of it. But Pietro did have a point. Knowing why the two of them know the difference might give them an edge in the future.

"The brainwashing," Clint muttered to himself. Bucky looked to Clint.

"Natalia?" he wondered. Clint frowned for a moment before realizing Bucky meant Natasha. She had mentioned to the archer before that Winter Soldier had worked with her as a trainer in the Red Room. It hadn't lasted long and she had no idea he was Bucky until Steve mentioned it. Natalia would have been the name that Bucky knew her best as.

"Dead in this reality," Clint whispered. Bucky nodded. "They must have had some idea that the brainwashing would reject the new reality. But..."

"They must not have thought Loki was brainwashing?" Wanda guessed, glancing over at Clint with a concerned look. She had seen how much Loki affected him. Even worse, she had seen how much the archer blamed himself for not stopping Loki's magical control over him. There were many people in his reality that still blamed him for the death of their friends, lovers and family members from those fateful days. Clint was finally getting used to never not being blamed by someone.

"You know, for once, I'm kinda glad about that," the archer huffed, trying to go for humor but failing. Thankfully no one commented.

"So brainwashing helps you remember what? The reality you lived in or every reality you have to go through?" Pietro wondered. Clint shrugged. This was new to him. Bucky also shrugged. If this happened to the assassin before, he couldn't remember it.

"This information is all well and good, but it doesn't help us with our final goal. How can we fix this?" Stephen pointed out.

"Alexander Pierce, he's one of the leaders," Bucky replied. Clint frowned.

"One of?" he wondered. Bucky nodded. Clint cussed to himself. "Of course, a Hydra has multiple heads. Son of a bitch, why did that never occur to me before?"

"Sorry?" Bucky questioned as if he was to blame for Clint's lack of hindsight. Clint shook his head and moved to leave into the hallway. "I know some of the others but... Pierce has made mentions of our reality."

"So, you think Pierce is the one that did this?" Stephen inquired. Bucky nodded and suddenly gave off a slight shiver. His hands tightened into fists and Clint frowned. The programming must be bothering the assassin again.

"Then we have our next step, find Pierce," Clint grumbled before finally leaving the room to give Bucky a small reprieve.

* * *

Clint was tempted to call Coulson for any clue as to where Pierce was but considering Grant Ward was already questioning about him, the archer decided not to risk it. His next thought was to just contact Fury or even Hill but something about asking either of them for help just gave him chills. Something that was actually pretty typical in his life. He never liked asking either of them for help, especially Hill. Anyone else he'd normally try to ask for help was either dead, didn't know him or could be Hydra.

Stephen suggested he scry for Pierce's location. But he also mentioned that considering he's never actually seen Pierce in person, it might not work. A shot in the dark but worth a try. Wanda also agreed to try and mentally track the man down. Like Stephen though, she wasn't going to have much luck. Without having meet or seen Alexander Pierce, Wanda wouldn't be able to focus on him. Her mind would keep going to anyone who so much as thought of the man's name. So, her mind focused a lot on the men gathered around her.

Pietro wanted desperately to do something to help but there wasn't anything he could do. So, he watched over Bucky. The assassin had realized soon after Clint left the room that Stephen's spell had vanished. Silently, he had followed the crew into the living room. Now he and Pietro sat on the abandoned couch watching TV together. It was at least the news and so they both half hoped that Pierce may suddenly show up. Two hours after everyone started to look for Pierce, an emergency news broadcast suddenly came on. Clint tried to ignore it. After witnessing Banner's arrest live, the archer didn't think he could stand anymore bad news.

"Well, now Hydra's after Strange," Bucky commented in a 'I told you so tone' right in the middle of the broadcast. That made Clint turn to see what was going on. At that moment, the screen captured images of Stephen, Wanda, Pietro and himself. Clint got up, making Bucky and Pietro glance toward him. The man had a small smile on his face and Clint noted Bucky looked almost like the same man in all those old photos with Steve. "You're apparently a terrorist, highly dangerous and the rest of us are innocent kidnapped victims."

"Innocent my ass," Clint jokingly scoffed, trying to memorize the TV screen for innocuous details. Bucky chuckled, prompting the archer to look at him. Considering how fast the man seemed to have come back to himself compared to Clint's reality, the archer couldn't help but wonder. Could Hydra still be in control of Bucky? Even though Wanda swore they couldn't? Was all this a trick? Maybe the twins still worked for Hydra and this whole thing was set in the long play.

" _Clint Barton is a dangerous man. He has already killed his entire family and attacked friends of how whom tried to get him help. If you see him or any of these men and women he kidnapped, please, call the number below,_ " said a man. As the images wiped from the screen, Clint's eyes focused on Alexander Pierce. The archer smiled. Behind the man were sights that Clint easily recognized. He had been at that location often enough to know the sight lines. He smiled darkly.

"Well, now I have you," the archer muttered to himself. Bucky turned to look at him in surprise. Even though he had been around for a while, Bucky still had a hard time recognizing once familiar places.

"What now?" the Soldier wondered. Pietro even spun around now to face him.

"He wants me? Let him find me," Clint replied, his face turning deathly serious. Bucky nearly paled. Wanda had promised that Hydra would never get him again. And yet, here was Clint willingly going into the lion's den. Pietro shook his own head, half praying that Clint was joking while mentally planning on how to lock the archer up so as to not run to Hydra.

"They'll kill you," Bucky pointed out. Clint shook his head, a smile slowly forming on his face. Pietro frowned.

"Uh. Hate to tell you but, yeah, they will and they'll enjoy it," Pietro warned. Clint chuckled, looking down at the two worried guys.

"No. If they capture me, they'll want to rub their success in my face. They'll brag and torture me. Make me 'suffer' by watching this world go to them," Clint stated, so sure of himself. Bucky and Pietro exchanged looks. They almost wondered to themselves if Clint was mentally sane. When they looked back, Clint tilted his head to the side. "Trust me, I've been in this type of situation before."

"I find that hard to believe," Bucky softly hissed, shaking his head. Clint frowned.

"Really? You've been trapped in another reality with an evil organization trying to take over?" Pietro smartly retorted in anger. Clint paused at that as he thought over everything he said before shrugging. Outside of it being another reality, there was always an evil organization trying to take over. There had even been times when the group had someone the archer cared about.

"Just cause this reality is slightly different doesn't mean I'm not right. So far, they've done everything to design. Made me the villain, showed they could get my friends, sent someone after me... Now, the only thing left is the capture and torture before I ultimately breakout and kill them all," Clint informed them, trusting fully in his plan. Bucky rolled his eyes and relaxed deeper into the couch. It was official, Clint had lost his mind. Pietro snarled.

"Dude, life ain't a movie," the speedster snapped. Clint's eyes clouded over in memory of the various things that have happened to him. Since Thor appeared in New Mexico, it was almost like some messed up person was now in control of his life and their main mission, torture him till near death and then bring him back.

"I beg to differ," the archer whispered before turning and leaving the room. Thankfully for him, neither Bucky nor Pietro followed after him. Knowing his mind was a mess, Clint headed to Stephen's sanctuary first. Bothering Wanda right now wouldn't help her mental state and certainly would throw off whatever search she was doing right now. Clint lightly knocked on the door to the room Stephen had locked himself into. There was no response but it surprisingly slipped open. Raising an eyebrow, Clint pushed the door open. Stephen was sitting in the center of the room still as can be. He almost reminded Clint of a statue. The archer waited a minute, unsure how best to pull Strange from his concentration when it happened.

"Here to tell me you have a plan?" Stephen asked. The archer smirked and shook his head. Stephen started to slowly stretch. "It's stupid and reckless."

"So I've been told," Clint chuckled. Stephen didn't respond to the archer's bait.

"But then again, it seems you are as well," the sorcerer grunted as if Clint hadn't spoken. Carefully, Stephen moved to get up from his seat.

"Yeah, I've been- Wait! HEY!" Clint cried jokingly in outrage. Stephen chortled as he turned to face Clint. The archer put on a pouty face as he realized he just reacted exactly how Stephen wanted. "Not funny."

"Oh please. You've heard worse," Stephen retorted. Clint inclined his head in agreement. Couldn't argue that. Now that the humor was over, Stephen's face darkened. Clint stiffened, ready for a fight. "So, you seriously want to get us all captured?"

"No. Bucky will bring me in, alone," Clint responded. Stephen sighed and shook his head.

"And the plan gets worse," the mystic commented. Clint grimaced, almost imagining now that maybe Bucky's and Pietro's argument might be valid. Could he really be certain that the Hydra here would be stupid enough to brag and want to show off their imagined might?

"Hey, I need the rest of you out here in case something goes wrong," the archer mentioned, trying to show that he had a backup plan in case the main one failed. Stephen snorted.

"How would we know?" the man countered as if Clint hadn't thought of that. Clint had indeed thought of it. It was something the Wanda from his reality mentioned at one point in Sokovia. And something that the Sorcerer Supreme had mentioned. A magic link. Clint was hesitant to use it but, there would be no way to track it, no way it could stop working, and a perfect way for everyone to talk to each other. Stephen's eyes narrowed, almost understanding before it being said. "That's high level magic. I'm not sure I could do that."

"I can," Wanda called. Both men turned to her in the entrance of the room. Apparently she must have heard them and given up her search. Clint gave her a soft smile. "I can link us. We'll be able to talk to each other, know what's going on, even see through each others eyes if given the chance."

"That sound incredibly dangerous," Stephen muttered as Clint spoke as well.

"The downside to doing it?" Clint asked, at the same time as Stephen. The archer could almost sense more than fear what Wanda was going to say. Wanda winced, predicting that at least Clint would pick up on the problems that could arise.

"We'd uh... Feel everything. Hear every thought not protected and if we don't have the best mental walls, we could... Accidentally get lost in each others minds," Wanda warned. Clint paled at the thought, remembering back to Loki's scepter. So many people had thought that was a one way street but there were times, Clint could go into Loki's mind. He saw what had driven the trickster into doing what he did and Clint could nearly seem himself in the demigod. If even the slightest bit of Clint's life changed, he could have been Loki (well, without the magic). It was a horrible feeling. Never mind the own darkness that coated Clint's past. What if the others saw that and didn't want to help him after all? What if they decided Hydra was better a risk than this other reality that had the Avengers?

"You could teach us to stop that from happening, correct?" Stephen questioned, sounding oddly worried. Clint glanced at the mystic even as his mind reminded him that Stephen used to be a very famous and very self centered surgeon. He might have a lot of darkness in his past hidden from the public as well.

"I can try, " Wanda whispered. She began to twist her fingers. A nervous trait that was compounded when red sparks started to appear. She was nervous. Everything about Clint's plan was now going to rely on her. Clint moved forward and grabbed a hold of her hands. She looked at him, tears beginning to form in her eyes. Clint gave her a soft smile. "It might take awhile."

"I think Hydra might be afraid to use whatever they used before again. Otherwise they would have done it when I first ran from them," Clint mentioned. It was still something that everyone feared. No one truly knew what Hydra did or used to create this reality and if there was a set time limit to use it again. But the lack of anything happening had their confidence that Hydra wouldn't or couldn't use it again. Stephen exchanged a look with Wanda and both of them nodded. They could use this time to come up with a better plan. Or maybe even convince Clint that his current plan was too stupid and reckless to risk.

* * *

 **Well, at least it hasn't been a month. OMG, I have been writing the sequel story to this and I just hit a character that is sooooooooo easy and fun to write. I just hope that I did her right. Honestly I think I did cause for the first time ever I read the one of the jokes to my husband and he gave an audible laugh at it. HE'S NEVER DONE THAT FOR MY JOKES (unless he was involved in creating the joke)! I totally want to go dance around my house. Too bad it's like 11 at night and both kiddos are asleep.**

 **Clint and Darius are both well. Just being typical young boys. Lots of fighting, yelling hitting, eating and complaining. Worst of all is the whole 'Mom, where is...' Literally right in freaking front of you! Ugh. Whatever.**

 **Got a new story I'm working on the side lines. Would really appreciate if everyone could review a way they'd love to see Clint die. I swear, once I start posting the story that will make sense but I don't want to spoil the fun right now.**

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Katie MacAlpine - Well, technically this Bucky is supposed to be the same as out Bucky. I have him spray the bullets for a reason that I believe now I may have kind of left the reason why in a kind of in between the lines way. Hopefully everyone can catch it. As for the rest, gonna have to wait and see. Hope you enjoy every bit.


	13. Perfect Place

It took two weeks for Wanda to be able to train everyone to block their minds. During those weeks, Stephen 'blackmailed' a neighbor into getting the group food and not reporting that they were in hiding there. Needless to say, there was a spell on the neighbor that informed Stephen if the promise was broken. Thankfully for Wanda's sake, after a quick one on one test, she was able to determine that Stephen and of course Pietro didn't need any help with building a wall to block the others from their minds. Yeah, she might have helped them with technique but that would have taken more time than she had available. Bucky and Clint were in dire need of help.

The first week, Wanda had to mostly help Bucky with rebuilding his mental shields that had vanished over time and multiple brainwashing events. Clint was grateful for that even if it meant that he may get less time for his own training. After the test with Wanda, the archer feared the possibility of anyone in his head again. The experience was different and yet oh so similar to Loki taking over his mind. It was uncomfortable and Clint wanted to avoid ever doing it again.

Even though Wanda would never control Clint, the archer began to fear his plan. Did he really need to connect with the team? Couldn't Bucky just be the one with the connection? Eventually logic and Stephen helped convince Clint to give Wanda a better chance to finish training him and she was able to help both men create a sturdy enough shield to work during various issues.

"So we're clear on the plan?" Clint asked once again, somehow feeling as if something will fail. Stephen and Wanda sighed. They'd been hearing this a lot since Wanda started the link. Bucky shivered, remembering when Steve once told him a similar thing. Pietro also suddenly seemed wary. This was another step closer to him not existing.

" _We'll be fine,_ " Wanda mentally soothed through the link. She had fully established it the afternoon before to allow everyone to settle with it before calling the training over. Clint grimaced when her voice echoed into his mind. A big downside. He still wasn't comfortable with her (or anyone's voice) in his head. But at least he wasn't the only one. Bucky and Stephen seemed just as affected as well.

"You might want to go before we change our minds," Stephen chuckled, hiding his own discomfort of the link. They each could feel that no one truly liked the plan. But no amount of brainstorming could help them come up with another plan. Clint nodded and looked to Bucky.

"You ready?" the archer called. Bucky slowly nodded. Not wanting to fight anymore and certainly not wanting to waist anymore time, Stephen turned and created a portal to the place Clint had picked out hours earlier. It was agreed upon that Bucky should capture Clint far from the others but also near the collection point Bucky had been programmed to return to. Clint went first through the portal with the plan to make it look like he was going to scout out the area for a few days. He'd only have a half hour to get everything set before Bucky would be following after.

Clint sighed and stepped through. As he turned back, the portal vanished behind him. For a second, he half felt alone but then the stirring from the link made him remember otherwise. Slowly, he looked about. D.C., seriously? Even after the events from before in the other reality, Pierce didn't want to change his main base out of the S.H.I.E.L.D base? Clint growled as he wondered if they were working on the Triskillions in this reality as well. Would they almost be complete? How far away until they could kill whoever they wanted, whenever they wanted?

"Idiot," Clint muttered not only aloud but also accidentally in thought.

" _Never claimed Hydra as bright,_ " Bucky retorted as if Clint was speaking to him. A chuckle from someone followed soon after. Clint snorted again and shook his head, still focused on S.H.I.E.L.D HQ. He wondered if he should just go find someone to warn about Hydra but then figured that might be a bad idea. " _Better get hiding. Don't wanna get you too quick._ "

" _Don't enjoy the thrill of the chase,_ " Clint taunted before spinning on his heel and stalking off. Suddenly an image came into his mind. It was of himself, pacing Stephen's bedroom with a phone against his ear. Having been forced to use rifles before, Clint could tell the image was coming from the sight on a rifle and he realized this must have been Bucky's memories from before the attacked. As the image vanished, Clint wondered if Bucky shared that on purpose or not.

Shaking off the thought, Clint focused more on trying not to blow his cover. It was supposed to look like after the news report, he left the team and was trying to figure out a way into Hydra's base. Even if he knew the best way to get in right now. But first, to set this up, he needed cash. Thankfully D.C. was still a big tourist trap. All Clint had to do was head toward the Smithsonian and he could easily get a ton of cash.

* * *

Thirty minutes passed by faster than Clint anticipated. He was still collecting money for a third outfit change and another night in a nearby hotel when Bucky's voice echoed through his mind. " _Ready or not, here I come_." Clint mentally shivered at the words. Something about them reminded him of Loki and he must have shared it because suddenly the other assassin apologized. The archer just shrugged it off and stepped up his game. He had enough money for now, so he left the Smithsonian to go set up a hotel room for a few night.

Time passed much slower after that but Clint got much more done. He changed clothes twice more, got some new guns off some conceal carry people (thank you laws) and even had time to book a few fake rooms at various hotels. The main one Clint wanted to stay in though was had a perfect view of S.H.I.E.L.D/Hydra HQ. For now, he was back out on the street using his remaining money. No use having much cash on him when Bucky caught him for Hydra.

" _When do you want me?_ " Bucky suddenly asked. Clint stilled in his walk from the nearby grocery store and back to his hotel room. Subtly he began looking around while making sure to keep his surprise from Bucky. There was a dark chuckle even as Clint tried to stop his next thought.

" _You seriously found me?_ " Clint wondered. He still couldn't see the other sniper but now Clint almost feel like he was being watched.

" _Jeremy Renner was the first name Hydra suspected you'd use,_ " the assassin chuckled. Clint cussed aloud. He'd forgotten that Hydra was basically S.H.I.E.L.D and would of course have access to his most used covers. He should have used some of his lesser known covers. Figuring that Hydra wouldn't put all their cards on Bucky anymore, Clint sighed. He had hoped for another day or so before getting 'captured.'

" _Come get me tonight,_ " Clint though back. He received a mental nod before the link quieted. For half a second, Clint was surprised that Wanda, Pietro and Stephen didn't join in the conversation but then he remembered telling them that they shouldn't try talking to either assassin less they distract them. Once caught, they can start up a conversation but Clint may not always reply.

Sighing, Clint headed back to his hotel. He was so upset with himself over the blown cover and his own thoughts on the plan that he missed most of his surroundings as he walked. If he had been paying attention, he would have noticed the blond woman reading a newspaper on the corner, the familiar looking man glaring at something in his direction, and a few others that looked very similar to the team that Coulson had collected. Bucky's sudden spike of surprise was what alerted Clint to the fact that something was going on. Without prompt from the assassin, Clint turned and noticed Melinda May was standing not two feet behind him. She continued walking toward him, unfazed at being spotted.

"Hawk," she greeted. Clint tried to stop from showing his surprise at her appearance. He failed, but it was a nice attempt.

"Calvery," Clint returned, using the name to upset her in the hopes that she'd forget he hadn't noticed her until nearly too late. She arched an eyebrow at him. It showed she was unamused but wasn't going to comment on his lack of situational awareness. He smirked, at least his plan somewhat worked. Spinning on his heel, he turned to continue on his way. Unsurprisingly, May followed. Clint glanced at her. "Stalker."

"Helping," she countered, her only comment on Clint not paying attention in what was deemed a very dangerous situation. Everyone was looking for him. Local law enforcement, S.H.I.E.L.D, Hydra... Apparently Coulson's team. Clint's eyes darkened and he focused looking around the area. Now that he was paying attention he could see the other members of Coulson's team handing about and or joined in the rest of the walk to the hotel.

" _This spells trouble,_ " Bucky needlessly pointed out. Clint sent him an image of eyes rolling. Bucky snorted before responding with another image. Coulson was tensely sitting on a hotel bed. The same hotel bed that Clint had looked at not that long ago. Clint sighed. " _Your handler is in your room._ "

" _Figured_ ," Clint grunted. Wasn't more than a few minutes after that before Clint opened the door to his hotel room. May moved to stand guard in the entrance while Clint headed further into the room to put his food away. Coulson continued to sit on Clint's newly rented bed, silently watching Clint. The archer figured it Coulson wasn't going to talk first, then he could just wait him out. Coulson literally waited until after Clint put away the last item he bought before standing.

"We have to move," the man warned as Clint turned to face him. Clint planted his feet. Coulson sighed. "Hydra knows you're here."

" _You don't say,_ " Bucky sarcastically stated. Clint ignored him but he couldn't stop the twitch of a smile from appearing. Bucky's warm chuckle of amusement filtered through just as Clint tried to focus on the situation at hand.

"No," he muttered to Coulson, hardly loud enough for Coulson to hear. This would be only one of a handful of times that Clint ever defied his handler.

"I'm half amazed that no one was here waiting for you," Coulson continued as if Clint hadn't spoken. Clint groaned. He always hated the moments when he defied his handler.

"I'm not leaving," the archer stated, louder than before. From the entry way, May shifted. It always got uncomfortable when anyone betrayed their handler. May knew that better than anyone.

" _Need help?_ " Bucky wondered, figuring Clint was getting a bit out of his league. Coulson continued talking still and starting to grab whatever hidden weapons he could find in the room. Clint had to give the older man credit, he remembered a lot of what Clint typically did. The archer shifted to stand by the fridge and out of Coulson's way. He was now going to return his handler's favor.

" _Not yet,_ " Clint sighed. Coulson looked like he was nearly done 'packing' when Clint stepped into his path. The older man paused. "Coulson, I ain't leaving!"

"What?" Coulson asked, finally hearing Clint. The archer sighed and moved to grab his weapon collection from Coulson. Slowly he began to put them all back in their places. He wouldn't be able to use them once Bucky came to get him, but it was a good cover for if Hydra searched his room. Coulson silently watched him, drilling holes in the archer's back. Not wanting truly wanting to discuss the matter, Clint ignored his handler. He half wondered how long Coulson would last before he yelled and raged at the archer.

" _Wow, he's getting mad,_ " Bucky snorted. Clint glanced in a mirror and saw indeed that Coulson was getting red in the face.

"So, it's true. You have the Winter Solider in custody?" Coulson accused and questioned. Clint stilled, his only tell that the information shocked him.

" _Excuse me!_ " Bucky cried in outrage.

" _Cool it_ ," Clint thought even as he said, "What?"

"Pierce told Fury that you have the Winter Solider in custody but refuse to turn him over to us. He claims that you are a Hydra mole and used your family's death as a means of escape," Coulson hissed, sounding more betrayed than mad. Clint scoffed and spun on his handler.

"Seriously?" he wondered. Coulson said nothing, just stared at the archer with a blank look. It was a look that Clint knew well but had only been once trained on him. That look was Coulson analyzing his loyalty. It hurt that Coulson didn't trust him right then. He honestly shouldn't have been surprised that it happened but... Coulson was like a father to him, no a big brother! This was the man that Clint trusted for years and now... Now it was like they were perfect strangers again. "Do you know who the Winter Soldier used to be?"

"A Hydra agent," Coulson retorted, his voice dead of emotion. Clint winced. The man was acting like he was a target now. This was slowly turning into an interrogation.

"James Buchanan Barnes," Clint snarled. Coulson's face shifted at that but Clint couldn't read what the man thought. "Wanda helped return his memory and removed the brainwashing. He told us that Hydra has Steve and that Pierce has the device that created this fucked up world!"

"Bucky Barnes was a good man," Coulson nearly growled. As a Captain America fan of course, Coulson would know how Bucky supposedly died after falling off the train. Clint rolled his eyes, apparently Coulson wasn't going to believe him.

" _Can I come out now?_ " Bucky grumbled, not really enjoying the duo talking about him.

"No," Clint replied to both men by accident.

"No?" Coulson spluttered while Bucky pouted through the link. Clint nearly rolled his eyes. This was not going how he planned. "He was Steve Roger's friend! BEST friend!"

"Bucky was brainwashed," Clint snapped as if that should have occurred to the older man. Coulson froze at those words. Clint continued before the man could speak. "They tortured him for decades. Trained him to follow their orders and then used him to kill. And when they were done with him, they'd freeze him till they needed him."

" _Hydra's coming,_ " Bucky suddenly warned. Clint's eyes narrowed. He needed to get Coulson and his team out of here. More importantly, he needed Bucky to come 'capture' him. Right now, his plan was in dire straights.

"Get out. I can't have you here," Clint growled, not wanting to fully tell Coulson his plan. But Coulson was an intelligent man who knew Clint almost as well as the archer did. May stepped into the room, her hand on her ear. Clint nearly flinched. He had forgotten that Coulson's team was watching the area.

"Sir, Hydra agents," May warned. Coulson frowned but didn't turn his attention off of Clint. The archer stood his ground, trying to hide any clue about his plan. But when Coulson's eyes narrowed, Clint knew he was caught.

"You wanna get caught?"

"By Bucky, so leave," Clint hissed even as there was a noise outside. Clint nearly jumped when he realized Bucky had somehow gotten himself onto the five inch ledge just outside the window. Thankfully, Clint had unlocked the window when he first had gotten the room, so Bucky only had to lightly push on the window for it to open up. As the assassin stepped into the room, May quickly pulled out her gun and aimed it. Bucky resisted the temptation to pull out his own weapon. Clint mentally thanked him.

"Sir! The Winter Solider!" May cried as if everyone in the room was blind. Bucky shook his head and glanced at Clint.

"They saw me enter," Bucky informed. Clint continued staring at Coulson, daring the man to do anything. Bucky glanced over at the other man before focusing on Clint. Seconds nearly turned into a minute before Coulson finally sighed. He pressed his hand to his ear.

"Everyone, stand down. Don't be seen," Coulson ordered to his team. Clint gave his handler a small sad smile even as May lowered her weapon but did not holster it. Coulson shook his head with another sigh before looking back at Clint. "Don't do something truly stupid."

"Would I ever?" Clint joked, trying to lighten the dank mood.

"Yes," May, Bucky and Coulson all said at the same time. Clint gave them all a hurt look even as Coulson shook his head and turned to May. They fled the scene. Clint sighed, giving his handler's retreating form one last smile. Mentally he promised himself to find the Coulson from his reality and give him a hug, before punching him in the face. But for now, he had to get 'captured.'

"So... How we gonna-" Clint began to ask, turning to look at Bucky. A faint apology ran through Clint's mind before a silver fist slammed into his face. The archer dropped, never aware of the fact that Bucky just broke his nose and blood was now gushing down his face.

* * *

" _You've been out for nearly a day,_ " Bucky's voice filtered into Clint's mind before the archer even realized he was awake. Not fully sure what was going on his mind shields, that Wanda helped him build, were down so everyone caught his growl of disgust and pain from his injured nose. Bucky was the only one to respond and all it was was a sympathetic wince. " _Hey, they believed it._ "

" _YOU BROKE HIS NOSE!_ " Wanda shouted over the link. Clint whimpered, his head hurt enough thanks to his nose, never mind someone screaming. Using his minimal training, Clint worked on blocking Bucky's defense from the rest of the team. Everything about it was much harder than the archer anticipated. His mind was rather blurry and he found it hard to concentrate.

" _They drugged you. Me hitting you only knocked you out for around a half hour,_ " Bucky informed Clint's unasked question. Clint nearly nodded.

" _That explains it. Drugs and me don't mix well and considering they have my file, they must have used whatever works worse on me,_ " Clint replied. Bucky hummed an agreement, having been forced to look over Clint's file when he was brainwashed. He may not know much about drugs, but he remembered Pierce ordering something that was in bright red in Clint's medical file. Shaking himself out of his thoughts and the thoughts of the others through the link, Clint worked on opening eyes.

Without even being able to see properly, Clint immediately knew where he was. He had been in this particular cell more than once. But he got an extremely good look after Loki. Hydra had stuck him in the high security cell built for someone far stronger and smarter than him. There was no escape from this cell without help from the outside. While Clint had predicted this was where he was going to be thrown, he half hoped that someone would underestimate him and just stick him in a normal cell. He sighed. Well, things may have gotten a bit more difficult.

This cell was mostly a glass prison on all sides including ceiling and floor. There was a bed that was built into the frame. The door to the cell slid in and out of a pocket in the frame but the seam was near invisible where it touched glass to glass on the other end. Beyond the glass was a secondary room that was built more like the regular cells on the Helicarrier. Thanks to Clint there was an air vent but the opening wasn't large enough to fit through. Out there was the controls to the glass cell and a simple chair. Past the room and into the hall was a second set of controls that opened the main cell and powered the device opening the glass area.

"Agent Barton," a voice called. Clint twisted, noting that Pierce was standing right at the edge of his new cage. The man looked as if he was admiring some sort of trophy. Clint couldn't help but shiver as he realized that Pierce was proud of everything that happened, almost as if this was what the man had planned. A quick glance showed Clint that Bucky was hidden in a back corner 'silently' watching. "It is very nice to meet you."

"Not the first time," Clint growled, his voice annoyingly nasally thanks to his nose. He couldn't help the glare he sent at Bucky but was rewarded by a soft laugh in his mind. Both men could tell that Clint didn't blame Bucky for what happened. It was just one of many downsides that could have happened during the plan. Silently Clint promised some sort of cheap revenge against Bucky in the future but it wasn't as heated as Clint imagined.

"Well, here it is," Pierce murmured. Clint frowned. He had no real memories of this reality. Everyone knew he remembered his own, but he couldn't remember life in this reality. Pierce smiled. "Ah, you missed out on that little treat. We all have memories of both worlds. I remember ordering the hit on Romanoff, banning you from the job but I also remember arguing for her to not join S.H.I.E.L.D when you brought her in, alive."

"Interesting," Clint mocked, trying to hide his fear over the fact that all of Hydra now knew who was Hydra and who was S.H.I.E.L.D just by look. In his reality, they had to use secret codes in order to know. If Pierce unleashed Hydra in this reality, S.H.I.E.L.D would be destroyed without even putting up a fight. Pierce chuckled.

"Ah yes, this stone is truly amazing. Took us a few attempts to get it right," Pierce explained as if it really mattered to the situation at hand. The man seemed focused on something but as Clint looked the man over, the archer noted that whatever he was talking about Pierce didn't have out to show. Dang, he really needed the show part of this 'Show and Tell'.

"Well, you sucked at that too," Clint scoffed. Pierce's smile enlarged and gave Clint a chill down his spine.

"Oh, no. This wasn't a mistake. We knew we could take you on. Especially if we separated you from your team. The most difficult issue was finding when to rid ourselves of the Black Widow. We had hoped we could convert her but... All attempts at that failed," Pierce monologued. Clint glanced at Bucky with a smug feeling even though he glared at the assassin. Didn't matter how much Pierce creeped him out right then, he was glad his plan was working. Bucky risked rolling his eyes at the archer. Pierce continued talking. "We also worked on Stark. But Stane was rather uncooperative."

"How many?" Clint distantly wondered, suddenly understanding what Pierce had been saying. What if this stone had a limit on how many times it could be used? What if he couldn't fix this? Heck, what if he randomly thought of having Barney never betraying him? Or that he didn't step on that stupid spider when he was eight? Could something like that change his entire world?

"Oh, over fifty times. Most times though, no one tended to notice," Pierce commented. Clint paled and even Bucky shifted uncomfortable. God forbid that had happened and Hydra stayed in that reality. No one would have been able to stop them. Heck, if Clint wasn't fast enough in his plan now, Pierce could always change the world again.

"Why not go again?" Clint mumbled, fearing the answer. One good thing about Pierce thinking he had won and this villain monologue, Clint could get a lot of information. Bad guys typically always got cocky at this point. Made it easier to get information and sometimes even form an escape plan. Thankfully the escape plan was basically finished. They just needed more information.

"Why? We are at a perfect point," Pierce questioned. Clint forced his body to shiver by thinking about Fury, Coulson, Tony, Steve and Bruce's situation. Pierce smiled.

"I remember," he whispered. Pierce shrugged.

"So? Right now, you're a prisoner," the man stated as if it would stay that way forever. Clint's eyes narrowed. "Oh please. We know everything about you. You think this is the first time you or your team of heroes got this far?" Pierce mocked. Clint tensed. How many times had he gone through the same path? Did they already know about the mental link? Could they know where the others were? Even worse, did they know Bucky was a traitor? Seeing the horror in the archer's face, Pierce laughed but refused to give in any more. "Have fun. Someone will be down with a meal soon."

* * *

 **I swear to you all! I did not forget this story! It is fully completed and fully edited on my computer just waiting for me to get off my butt to post. Been going through some emotional issues lately that has made it hard for me to care about much of anything other than getting through each day so I haven** **'t been paying attention to passing time. Sorry.**

 **Clint and Darius are doing well. Just visited the dentist this morning and found out that Clint is two years advanced in his dentistry than he should be and so needs a procedure done sooner than later. Darius is still teething and about 4 teeth away from being done. Clint certainly didn't seem to last this long... Both have been so much like kids that's it's hard to stay mad at them long.**

 **Hubby is currently going through a job... Not really crisis but kind of. He is currently working two jobs, unsure if either one is a good fit for him and his skills. Job A, he has worked since January of last year and was promised to be made Assistant Manager within a few months of being hired. Also was promised 28-30 hours a week. Never got either of those promises until he got a second job. Job B, he had worked since around end of February and loves it there but feels like he might not be the best fit under the employers. Almost like they could find someone better. Currently Job B's owner has come down with an illness that makes it that he can no longer work so they want to change Hubby's schedule to nearing 40+ hours. Each week would be the same so never getting cut. Job A doesn't know this yet but I feel they may rush to give him the position and hours he was promised before and I don't trust their word. Currently I am leaving it up to him to decide what to do but the stress that he is going through is added to me and my stress at home with two kids and my own mental illnesses. Hopefully it gets resolved soon.**

 **AND OMG! Did anyone see INFINITY WAR! I promise, no spoilers from me but SERIOUSLY PEOPLE! Hubby laughed at me in the theater and most of the night cause of my reactions. Really didn't help that I was having a shit day before hand and was hoping to get my fix of everyone's fav... I literally screamed 'COME ON' at the end. But I did get to enjoy it down in Disney World so that was kinda cool. I wish I could post a joke I said as I was leaving this particular theater that night but it is a spoiler. If you've seen to movie PM me so we don't spoil it for others! THANKS!**

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Katie MacAlpine: Hee hee. Sorry to confuse you but then again, that is kind of the point. Sorry it took so long for me to post. And yes, I am still working on the sequel. Hopefully it can top this but fans are fickle. As for what else can happen... Hmm, who knows.


	14. Scum No Matter the World

When Pierce left, Bucky silently followed behind him and Clint found himself alone in the cell. Alone with nothing to do but think. For a moment, his mind tried to wander to the memories of his family's death. Copy or not, they were still his family and it hurt to think about them. Thankfully, Clint was able to catch himself before getting too deep into it. With not much else to do, Clint worked on improving his mental shields. An hour or so later, a loud siren ripped through the silence in the room. Clint screamed in surprise and at the sound as he clutched his ears to dull it. He tried to remove his hearing aids or turn them off but these people had his file and knew what sounds he could hear. The sound still stabbed into his ears and head. Clint was stuck, suffering.

The archer writhed on the floor for maybe a minute or more before his vision caught sight of what else was happening in the room. While he was suffering, two men, both wearing what Clint could only assume was noise canceling headphones, entered the room with a tray and a gun. One man leveled the gun at Clint even as the archer basically spasmed on the floor while the other headed toward what Clint now saw as the door to his cell. Focusing on it through the pain, Clint watched as a small slot opened and the second man pushed the tray into the room. Once it was far enough in, it closed and both men took their dear sweet old time leaving. Clint watched and a minute after the door closed, the sound ended. It took another minute or so before Clint could finally hear somewhat normally.

" _Try not to share that next time?_ " Pietro suddenly whimpered in Clint's aching head. The archer winced. He hadn't meant to share it with everyone. But the combination of working on his shields and surprise at the sudden sound, his whole shield fell. Everyone heard and felt what he had. Guilt flooded his pores and he half wondered what happened with Bucky. Was the man able to cover himself?

" _Sorry,_ " Clint replied, trying to quickly put up his mental shields again. Figuring the conversation was now done, Clint glanced at the food. He hadn't been able to eat in nearly half a day when he had been awake and then he had been knocked out. Not that long for him admittedly but normally he's not staring at food when he can't get to it. Slowly, he shuffled himself over to the food. Without really thinking or questioning it, Clint began eating. Three bites into the meal, he realized his mistake. "Shit."

" _What?_ " Three voices echoed in his head even as Clint felt sympathetic humor from Bucky. Of course Bucky would understand.

" _Food drugged?_ " the sniper needlessly asked. Clint mentally hummed before glancing back at the meal. Too late now, might as well keep going, " _K. I'll watch for you._ "

Oddly, Clint felt comforted by the fact that Bucky would be watching his back. He was even more grateful that he hadn't shared that over the link. Figuring everyone else would basically be okay and trusting they could watch each other, Clint finished the meal. Not five minutes later Clint was unconscious on the floor, a puddle of drool slowly forming by his head.

* * *

Bucky worriedly watched the monitor showing Clint's unconscious form. Through the link, the assassin could feel the archer's dreams. Wanda had taught them how to block out dreams during training so it was easy to not get sucked up into the happy fantasy Clint was seeing. Nightmares were harder to block, especially Clint's. Most of the archer's nightmares were based on real memories and so it was much harder to ignore. Somehow it being based on something real, that made the pull stronger. Almost like the mind wanted to share the horror. But Bucky wasn't going to question it. Instead, he'd just do his best to ignore it whenever it came up.

"He can't escape," A familiar voice mentioned behind the assassin. Bucky stiffened out of reflex. He never really liked someone standing behind him and the War and sniper training just made it worse. Slowly he turned to see Steve join him in watching the monitor. Since Steve arrived at Hydra Headquarters (a.k.a. S.H.I.E.L.D HQ), Bucky hadn't gone through to many 'training' exercises, gotten frozen, or any other of their typical steps in dealing with him. It was a nice relief, especially since that was one thing everyone worried about with sending Bucky back. What if Hydra tried to brainwash himself again? Even worse, what if they succeeded and the link made it that all of them got hit with it? "He'll be there for life."

"I know," Bucky whispered, praying his fear did not leak through. Everyone had talked about the downsides of this plan. One of them was that Clint was locked up for good and there was no turning back. Thankfully, Steve either didn't notice or didn't care.

"He deserves it, disgraceful," the Captain snarled. Bucky glanced at him. He had heard Steve sound like that before and with it aimed at Clint, the sniper couldn't help but wonder what happened to his friend. For some reason, he felt a strong desire to defend Clint. He shifted to full focus on Steve.

"What if he didn't do it? What if he was framed?" the assassin wondered, half defending Clint and half actually asking. Steve paused to consider it and frowned. Bucky could almost see the thoughts racing through his friend's head.

"Then I hope we figure it out before its too late," the man commented. Bucky frowned just as Steve looked over to him. "There is talk he might get a death sentence before the month is up."

Bucky prided himself in giving no outside reaction to those words. He hadn't heard anything but then again, he also hadn't really left the monitor since the alarm that wreaked havoc on everyone's head. While he had assumed that Clint's plan would never work, he had honestly believed that Clint was right in his ideas. Why didn't Clint believe him? Steve, figuring his moment was over, nodded a goodbye and walked off, leaving Bucky to himself. The man was alone for only a few more minutes before Bucky sensed a team of six suddenly coming into the room and surrounding him in a familiar pattern. Bucky forced himself to stay relaxed, like how he used to be programmed too. Thankfully, the team that tended to collect him was usually scientists or meat heads and so none of them would notice that he wasn't fully relaxed.

"Soldier, here," one of the men commanded. Bucky mutely headed over, trying to act like he was still under Hydra's control. Again, none of them seemed to notice anything was amiss. The man who called out was Bucky's lead programmer. Bucky never saw fit to learn the man's name, just kinda called him Word Guy. The men around him shifted, almost preparing for a fight. Bucky tried to relax his stance more but that just made them tense. "Let's get you back to you room."

Bucky nearly paled as he thought of the metal chair that they'd strap him to before assaulting his mind to get rid of memories, emotions, and the most recent programs. Were they finally through with him? Did they have Steve fully under control without him around? Even with his internal panic going on, Bucky went silently with the men. The halls rapidly emptied of people whenever they caught sight of the little parade and it wasn't long before Bucky realized they weren't headed to his normal room.

More people seemed to line the hallways down here but they all scattered fast upon the group's approach. One door didn't close fully in time before Bucky passed. He snuck a look in and was surprised to see it looked like a small apartment. These men were bringing him to the dormitory/living quarters. Soon after realizing this fact, the group stopped by a door. Bucky glanced at it. 666.

" _Well, if that ain't a bad omen, I don't know what is,_ " Stephen mentally muttered before Bucky slammed his shields up harder. He really didn't want everyone prying into his mind at the moment. God forbid this was some sort of trick and his chair had been moved into here. Word Man opened the door before waving Bucky inside. The assassin did as told before looking back to the scientist for more orders. Just like the well trained little puppet they remember. No matter how much Bucky's stomach turned at playing this little act. He honestly couldn't wait to go after these men and get his revenge.

"The bosses put you next to Rogers. You will stay here unless directed otherwise or it's meal time. If Rogers seeks you out, stay with him. Understood?" Word Man basically demanded. Bucky mutely nodded, still waiting for an actual directive. The man sighed. "Расслабиться."

Immediately, Bucky relaxed his stance and then headed to the bed as if to lay down. Even though not under their command, Bucky still remembered what to do with each command. Especially ones they used a lot. As he spun around to start laying down on his bed, Bucky noted the group had left and his door was slowly closing behind them. Bucky smirked and stopped himself from laying down for a moment. Then he thought better of it and finished laying down. They could have cameras watching him. He needed to act how they wanted until he was certain. Bucky waited almost a full minute before his eyes began to meticulously track around the room. A few moments later, Bucky got up, certain no one was watching him. _Fools._

The room he was given consisted of a desk, bolted to the ground, and chair with nothing inside. A closet filled with clothes he distantly remembered using once or twice on various missions as Winter Solider. An attached bathroom with minimal toiletries. Apparently Hydra didn't trust him to have any of his weapons. _So. Not as foolish as I thought._ As an assassin, Bucky would have plastered the room with various weapons, some hidden for use, others on display, and some even in states of being cleaned or being repaired. Disappointed with the lack of even a razor blade, Bucky focused on what he could use in the room. The bathroom held nothing but the sink. Would be hard to use that against an opponent, but worth it for maybe one lucky hit. The closet had hangers amazingly built in so they could not be removed. He tried breaking a piece off only to find they were reinforced with adamantium and so they could not be broken off. The cot, like the desk, was bolted to the floor and the chair would be too obvious if he removed or changed it.

"Fuck," Bucky silently cussed. Then he glanced up. Hydra was still in a S.H.I.E.L.D base and it was well known it both groups that Clint loved venturing through the vents to spy/practice other agent's spatial awareness. It was also known that Fury had enlarged the vents to hold the archer throughout every base. Bucky smiled. "Thank you Clint."

Yanking some clothes out of the closet, Bucky quickly made it look like he was sleeping on the cot. Then, he moved to his chair so he could get to the vent. Using a slit in his metal hand, Bucky slowly removed the bolts holding up the vent cover. Once it was removed, Bucky pocketed the screws, slipped the cover into the vent and got off his chair. Slowly, he pushed it back over toward the desk before jumping up onto it. Aiming himself, Bucky jumped off the desk and caught the edge of the vent. Sighing in relief at only having to do that once, Bucky pulled himself up and in before backing up to fix the vent into place, reversing the screws to hold it in place. Everything was just about back into place when there was a knock on the door. Bucky froze.

"Barnes?" Steve's voice called from outside the room. Bucky grimaced. "James Barnes?"

Since waking up, Steve hadn't once called him Bucky. Apparently, Hydra told Steve that he had memory issues and it was better to call him James or Barnes. Bucky wasn't surprised. In the other reality, it was Steve calling him Bucky that first caused the issues with his programming. Thinking even more about it, Bucky actually enjoyed Clint and the others calling him his old childhood nickname. That must be why Hydra disliked it so much. Suddenly, the door opened and Steve worriedly stood in the doorway. He looked slightly surprised and Bucky assumed he must have knocked so hard the door just kind of opened.

"Oh! Sorry!" Steve softly cried upon the sight in the room. Bucky nearly snorted in amusement when Steve desperately grabbed for the door and tried his best to close it. It took him another minute or so before it actually sat straight enough to look mostly closed and stay that way. Once it was set up, Bucky sighed. He'd have to remember to get that fixed later. As the sniper went to move to go check on Clint, a nightmare hit him, hard.

-NIGHTMARE-

"You left," Tony Stark commented, not even looking up from his bottle. The sight line focused on the bottle. A Brewmaster Armageddon, the 2nd strongest beer in the world. A sigh escaped as a thought passed. _Don't be chuggin' that._ Thankfully once the thought passed, Tony slowly sipped from the bottle.

"How many?" Clint's voice replied. Tony shrugged and for a moment, one could almost see the genius wonder if he ever tried keeping track or just simply hadn't cared. Slowly, the image of Tony moved closer before a hand reached to take the bottle away. "You're done."

"Yup," Tony muttered, uncaring over apparently Clint removing the bottle from his hand. Clint looked around. Bottles littered the floor and it looked like Tony had been at it for a while. Thankfully none of the labels seemed to be the same but it made one wonder, how much alcohol had Stark just consumed? Guilt swarmed through Clint even as he examined the rest of the place. Steve's artwork was gone. Bruce's science books and glass animal collection was gone. Even Natasha's 'hidden' weapons were missing.

"Oh, Jesus, Tony," the archer groaned. Clint barely had time to turn back to Tony before an uncoordinated fist hit him in the eye. Tony and Clint both tumbled onto the coffee table, shattering it under their combined weight. "Fuck man!"

"NO! NO! YOU DON'T GET TO DO THAT!" Tony screamed at the archer before moving in for another punch. Clint defended himself this time as he was prepared for it. But he worked hard at not hurting Tony even though the genius seemed determined too. In fact, they were still fighting over the pieces of the glass coffee table and Tony was barefooted. Clint couldn't help but wince and wish they could move their half fight into a different area. "You don't get to come back in here acting like you never left!"

"Tony," Clint tried but Tony shook his head even as he pushed Clint away. The archer used that moment to back away some more, putting space between them so Tony had to telegraph his moves more. It also got them further away from most of the glass shards on the ground. But Clint could still see the red footprints that Tony was leaving behind.

"You left. Then Pepper... She... She nearly DIED! Then they all left me. I was ALONE!" Tony sobbed. Clint winced, the guilt getting worse. He honestly hadn't thought about what could have happened at the time. All he knew was that he couldn't handle the situation and he needed to leave. His own memories would haunt him to the point that he'd never be able to help Tony or Pepper. It was horrible yes, but Clint needed to worry about his own sanity as well as the others.

"Tony, I didn't mean for that," Clint moaned, wanting so hard to explain but unable too. He had asked permission and had been denied. No matter what, he couldn't say anything. And boy right now did he really want to say something, give an explanation.

"My daughter died and everyone left me," Tony growled as if Clint could do anything about it now. Clint yet again winced, hard, thinking back to the panic of learning what was happening. He had known once Bruce stated what was going on that all their attempts would be futile. They would be too late. He had seen it before when his own son was lost the same way. At the time, Clint couldn't say anything. Even now he couldn't and the guilt was killing him.

"Tony," Clint moaned, unsure exactly what he'd say but wanting to try and diffuse the moment. Tony shook his head.

"Get out," the genius hissed, apparently back to extreme anger. Clint froze at the tone. "Get out."

"What?" Clint asked, praying he had heard his friend wrong. Tony looked at the archer with such an intense face that Clint nearly shuffled back in alarm.

"GET OUT!" the genius roared. "You aren't welcome here!"

"Tony, please," Clint tried to beg, feeling the extreme despair from Tony being left and him being removed from another group he thought of as family. Tony moved to punch him again. This time, Clint saw it coming and caught the billionaire's fist to stop him from hurting himself.

"J! Security!" Tony screeched. Clint released Tony as if he had been burned and jumped to his feet. Tony feel back on his ass and winced as a piece of the coffee table dug into him. For once, Clint didn't move to help him.

"I apologize sir, my systems seem to be disrupted," JARVIS smoothly lied. Clint raised an eyebrow while Tony scoffed. Neither man had thought that the AI would side with Clint. Sighing, Clint shook his head. Staying here any longer was pushing his luck anyways. JARVIS would call Rhodey for help if Tony really needed it. And Rhodey had no bonds of old friendship with Clint to stop him from seriously hurting the archer.

"Forget it, I'll leave," Clint mumbled, slowly heading out. Tony gave the archer a miserable smirk which told Clint that the genius wasn't really certain he wanted Clint to leave. Clint promised himself he'd stay in New York. He'd watch over Tony the best he could. Even though it would be from a distance. It was the least he could do after everything. They had been so close.

"Good, no one wanted you here anyway," Tony added as Clint slipped from his view. Clint grunted in soft reply in the entry way as he tapped the elevator's button. It hurt that Tony was so violently angry with him but... He could understand why Tony was so angry. It must have horribly hurt him to have everyone leave after such a horrible moment. Clint should have returned sooner. Stopped everyone from leaving. Something...

"Sir does not mean that," JARVIS retorted softly. Clint nodded, knowing that Tony actually did mean it. Didn't mean he wouldn't regret it once he was sober. But for now, those words were meant.

"Yeah. Thanks," the archer muttered as the elevator arrived. "Keep me appraised?"

"Yes, Agent Barton," JARVIS replied as Clint entered the elevator and felt it rapidly descend.

-END NIGHTMARE-

Bucky snapped into himself faster than he lost himself to the nightmare. He snapped out so fast that his head nearly smacked onto the vent above him. Rethinking over what he had just witnessed, Bucky prayed that what he saw was just a simple nightmare. But... Something about it told Bucky that it was a horrible memory. One that Clint highly regretted and wished to fix.

" _Oh, poor Clint,_ " Wanda commented through the link. Apparently the nightmare or memory had been strong enough to pull everyone into it. Bucky didn't feel as bad about viewing it now.

" _Jeez. Makes you really feel for the guy,_ " Pietro added. Bucky nearly nodded in agreement.

" _Concentrate everyone. I have a feeling this will get worse,_ " Stephen warned. Bucky didn't reply to them. He simply increased his shields. God help them if Hydra is in the middle of talking to him and one of Clint's nightmares catches him. For a moment, Bucky went into his mind to reinforce the shields but something drew him out. Something sharp and slightly painful. Almost like a slap across the face.

"Clint!" Bucky exhaled as he realized the archer was forced awake by a slap. Moving carefully but quickly, Bucky slid through the vents till he got to Clint's cell. He wasn't even fully to the cell when he heard voices drifting up from it.

"Do you enjoy this world?" the first voice asked. Bucky took a moments before he realized this was a man that Clint called Jasper Sitwell. While Bucky had never personally met him, through Clint's memories, the assassin could clearly picture the traitor. Nearly balding guy with glasses. Almost like a smug little turtle dressed in a suit.

"And here I thought you were threatened into being Hydra. Guess you always were scum," Clint scoffed. Sitwell chuckled as Bucky finally appeared in the vent. Apparently, while Clint was still unconscious, Sitwell had either gone in or more likely sent some men in to strap Clint down to a chair. The archer could hardly move and Sitwell was stalking around him like some sort of proud lion guarding his kill.

"Yes, such scum that I am now part of the group that will rule the world," Sitwell stated, unknowingly contradicting Pierce's early statements of having already won the world. Clint suddenly let out a bark of laughter that continued for a minute or two. Bucky frowned along with Sitwell as they stared at Clint. Something was hilarious to the archer but neither man could tell what that was.

"HA! You guys are so fucking stupid," Clint laughed. Sitwell snarled, not liking Clint insulting him. Even though the duo never tended to hang out much, Clint still knew how to piss the man off. "You haven't even taken over and yet you're all acting like you've won."

"Cause we have!" Sitwell argued. Clint laughed again, making Sitwell visibly uneasy. "We have! No one can stop us!"

"I know a few people," Clint muttered, suddenly deathly serious. Sitwell gulped but basically tried to ignore the sudden change in the archer. But everyone could tell that Sitwell was shaken. Clint couldn't help but give the man an evil smirk that made the older agent shudder slightly.

"Once the Triskillion is finished-" Sitwell began. Clint paled, blocking out the rest of Sitwell's big speech. To cover his mistake, Clint barked out another bit of laughter, making Sitwell pause.

"The Triskillion? That old piece of junk? It was brought down once," Clint snarled, the humor slowly disappearing from his voice. Sitwell's eyes narrowed. Though the man had worked with Clint before and knew some of the archer's tricks, having them done on him, was throwing him. "It can be brought down again."

"By who? A dead red headed Russian and a man who's so lost in this time that he doesn't get he joined his enemy? We already took them down!" Sitwell cried. For a moment, Clint wondered about Sam Wilson. While he hadn't met the man personally yet, he hadn't thought to check on him. Hopefully he was okay. Bucky's frown deepened. He wondered who Sitwell was really trying to convince, Clint or himself. At this point though, Bucky truly believed Clint to have the upper hand, even though he was tied to a chair.

"There is more of us then just them," Clint cautioned, not giving any names. Bucky grimaced, wondering if Clint was now spilling too much information.

"Who? Banner? He's locked up nice and tight. Can't even get a book on science. Stark? He's so into keeping up his sexual image that he can't even see his weapons being sold off to the bad guys of the world. Heck, most days he's so far into a woman's pussy that he doesn't even realize he'd basically on house arrest," Sitwell explained. Clint raised an eyebrow, almost as if he was expecting to hear more names. Apparently Hydra only believed that the Avengers would challenge them. But there were so many other heroes out there. "No one can stop us."

"Sure, keep deluding yourself," Clint scoffed, not willing to name the hundreds of other heroes who could and would stand up to Hydra if Clint failed.

"You too," Sitwell laughed before leaving the room. As soon as the door closed, the chair's locks all disengaged. Clint jumped to his feet and both Bucky and Clint watched as it slowly disappeared into the ground. Clint huffed in amusement.

"So, Stark actually finished those furniture nanobots," he joked, unsure if that really was what the chair had been made of. There was a lot of S.H.I.E.L.D tech that the archer had never seen or heard of. Some of which Tony had made, some of which came from old Hydra tech and even more came from the sudden appearance of Thor, Loki and the Chitauri. Clint didn't even get a chance to relax after that before someone else entered his cell, thankfully without any added security.

* * *

 **Okay, still a little later than I intended... Sorry for that. But this story is almost to it** **'s close and I'm worried that it's sequel will not be finished in time... UGH! Trying to write with two little kids hanging all over you is so much harder than I first thought.**

 **Clint and Darius are still well. Clint had his first set of dental surgery, basically just a sealant over some teeth. He is a few years early for it but considering his genetic issue, he's pretty much gonna be early for everything regarding growth. Because he was early for it and his normal interaction with the dentist, he was given some laughing gas to keep him calm. In the end he did so well and there was no issues with it at all. Darius on the other hand is trying to take over this note. I think I'm spending more time deleting what he is typing then actually typing myself. Best move on, lol.**

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Katie MacAlpine - No, Pierce was not talking about the Time Stone. Actually, while I mention what happens in the MCU, my story should be mostly considered an AU. I didn't want it to be originally but as I was already typing out an idea, the MCU kinda betrayed me by using some of my ideas in a different way. As for the rest, well, it should hopefully be explained above. Don't want to ruin too much. I'm sorry that you have been having problems as well. Life just loves to cause so much trouble, lol. Stay strong as well and hope to hear from you soon!

Shades of X - I'm glad you love the story. This one was so fun to write and I'm glad that everyone else is getting to enjoy it. It makes me happy to hear that you like how I captured the characters. I find it funny when I write a section of my story where I mention something with the characters and during the next comic release or (when the show is on) episode said character has the same detail come out. For example, two days after I first wrote of Clint's aversion to magic there was an episode in Avengers Assemble: Secret Wars where Clint states that he hates magic and I couldn't stop laughing for a good half hour over it. Glad you love this and hopefully my posts won't be as slow as they have been.


	15. The Truth

"Stevie?" Bucky softly breathed before he had a chance to catch himself. Clint quirked an eye toward the vent, having assumed Steve had heard it as well, but the super soldier either didn't hear or didn't care. Thankfully, Bucky had himself hidden in the shadows of the vent anyways so one would have to be directly under to be able to see him. And that's not saying he wouldn't move back when they came closer. Steve looked pissed and hurt, a sight that Clint had seen many times but never really directed at him. The archer could tell that this wasn't going to be the best discussion with the Captain.

"Why?" Steve asked without saying anything else. Didn't even greet himself or anything, just the one word which sounded so broken that Clint almost slammed his head into the nearby wall. Clint sighed and looked to the ground before deciding better of it and focusing straight onto Steve's face. Steve winced, not having expected Clint to dare stare him in the eyes. But Clint knew better. He had nothing to feel bad about and he needed to prove that to his old friend.

"Why what?" Clint wondered, praying that Steve wasn't asking about what he thought the soldier was. Steve frowned as if the archer's answer was obvious. Well, it would be obvious to someone who was guilty. Clint nearly winced when he understood that Steve was asking about it.

"Why those innocent kids?" Steve clarified, shifting his weight. Clint knew he was uncomfortable with missions that involved anyone under the age of 18. An issue that many of the Avengers shared. But right now, Clint could only picture his three children with their dead eyes staring at him. He couldn't help but wince at the memory. Unconsciously, his eyes turned down and to the right. "Why would you kill them?"

"I didn't," Clint hissed, his eyes darkening as he focused hard on Steve's face. For a moment the two just glared at each other before finally Steve just shook his head. Apparently the man wasn't convinced of Clint's innocence just yet.

"S.H.I.E.L.D found you standing over their bodies," Steve growled, frustrated that the archer refused to admit. Clint jumped to his feet and rushed the door to his cell but stopped before hitting. His eyes showed murder before he calmed down and shook his head. Amazingly the sight of the archer rushing him with murder in his eyes had Steve stepping back in fear.

"I was grieving. I held my son as my house burned around me! I stared into my wife's horrified eyes, frozen the moment I got shot in the back!" Clint shouted, wishing he could take out his anger and sadness on Jasper Sitwell or even Alexander Pierce. Steve's eyebrows raised as he adjusted himself back to his previous position as if standing his ground. Clint snarled at the sight, his anger getting the better of him. "And who fucking said I was standing over them? Fucking Sitwell!?" Clint paused to breath and take control of his emotions. Flipping out like this wouldn't prove his innocence. In fact, it might drive Steve further away. While Clint couldn't tell if it would be better if Steve stayed away from him, something told him that he'd need the Captain's help. "Sitwell's a fucking liar."

"From what I hear, you might be the liar. Constant trouble, fighting with others, disobeying orders," Steve challenged, almost as if saying Clint's work ethic continued at home. Clint's eyes narrowed as Steve suddenly brought his hands forward. That was when Clint noticed the rather large file in the Captain's hands. He could just about see his name on the outside of it. All he could do was sigh and look away. Steve moved forward, almost as if he knew that somehow he had beaten Clint. "Many people here aren't surprised by what you did. Some even said they predicted it."

Clint scoffed and moved to the back corner of his cell. He refused to be baited anymore. Though really, Steve wasn't trying to bait him. The man was just trying to understand what made Clint do what he supposedly did. It was a habit of Steve's that Clint had always admired and yet hated to the core. Clint was happy that Steve would try and find some reason for something in a villains mind but sometimes there just wasn't. But Clint hated it cause that meant there had to be good in everyone and that couldn't be true of some of the people he had met in his life and certainly many he had killed.

"They were your family. Your kin," Steve persisted. Clint grimaced, trying hard not to yell at the man. He really wanted to defend himself but being locked in a cell with nothing more than his word made that highly difficult. Steve needed proof and with everyone around currently a hidden Hydra agent or S.H.I.E.L.D agent that was pissed at Clint for one reason or another, Clint had no proof to deliver. "And you killed them."

"Steve, stop," Clint snarled, not realizing his error. Steve froze and when silence settled over them, Clint was partly surprised it worked. He glanced over at the Captain and was even more stunned to see shock and almost fear on the man's face.

"How? How do you know my name?" Steve asked. Clint frowned and focused more on him. It seemed like a really stupid question. Everyone knew Steve Rogers was Captain America. "Everyone here calls me Captain America or Captain. Not one person, outside of an old friend, has called me Steve."

"Steven Grant Rogers. Born July 4th 1918. Parents were Joseph and Sarah Rogers. Best friend James Buchannon Barnes, aka, Bucky, ie, Winter Soldier," Clint reported, using the knowledge from the other reality to do so. Steve shook his head. It was told to him by the 'higher-ups' that only they knew James used to respond to Bucky. And no one had ever called James Winter Soldier but Steve had checked out the agent's folder. James and the Winter Soldier could not be the same man. Cause Steve knew, James would never kill Howard. Steve forced himself not to focus on it. In his mind though, it was certain. Winter Soldier and James Barnes were not the same people.

"You read something. Somewhere," Steve snorted, trying to hide how much this was bothering him but Clint knew him too well. The slight downcast with his eyes. Shifting his weight from foot to foot. His hands beginning to crumple the archer's file into dust. Clint fought to keep the smirk off his face even as he stood and moved back to Steve. There were so many secrets and Clint was certain that Hydra never went back far enough to erase everything from the 40s.

"You can drink anyone under the table cause your metabolism is so fast, alcohol doesn't bother you," Clint mentioned, knowing that it had been well known. Steve rolled his eyes. "Same is true for any type of pain medication or sedative. You had Bucky dig a lot of bullets out of your arms while you were awake and watching," Clint continued. Steve shifted and turned slightly away. Getting lost in memories. Clint winced. He didn't want to do this to punish Steve. All he wanted was the man to lay off of him. "You were chosen for the Super Soldier program after dropping your eighty pound body onto a dummy grenade that you thought was live."

"I'm sure all that's in my file," Steve mumbled, sounding slightly unsure of himself even as he glanced at Clint's file. Clint knew from personal history that Coulson had had most of his personal history blackened or completely stripped from his file. That wasn't typical of most agents but then again, Clint wasn't most agents. Clint smirked as a thought crossed his mind. This might get him.

"You once thought to 'fondue' meant to have sex," Clint stated as seriously as possible. Steve turned red. Only Bucky, Howard and Peggy knew that and all three had sworn to keep it secret. Thankfully during one 'getting to know each other' night, Steve admitted that he had nearly gotten in a fight with Howard over the man wanting to 'fondue' with Peggy.

" _Seriously? That's funny,_ " Pietro suddenly called into Clint's mind. Clint winced. He had forgotten to shield himself again.

" _He owned a dog for about a week,_ " Bucky added.

"You once had a dog that you named Scout," Clint added feeling Bucky's impressed mood soon after. "You still remember every place you've even been beaten up in and to this day, you still don't know how to dance."

"Did James tell you this? That Wanda girl is a telepath," Steve hedged, feeling completely unsettled. He sounded so much like an insecure teen that it reminded Clint that the man was only technically 24 years old. Clint shook his head. He wanted so hard to admit the truth but he still needed to make sure that Steve was fully convinced that Clint knew this on his own. This information was his only proof.

"You love art, so much so that you'd vacation in a gallery for a week and still not be satisfied," Clint said, reminded of the actual week that Steve had taken off after the Battle of Manhattan. Tony loved joking that Steve legit pouted on the way out. So much so, that the genius had bought the painting Steve had been sitting in front of for nearly three times what it was worth. God Clint missed them all. "You never acted a day in your life until you were literally thrown onstage to 'punch Hitler'. When you went to create the Howling Commandos, everyone first refused you but then you bought them one drink and they rethought it."

"ENOUGH!" roared another voice. Steve and Clint both winced and turned to the main door leading to Clint's cell. Alexander Pierce rapidly entered the room with Sitwell on his tail. Steve looked his best to look sheepish but there was something in his look that had Clint thinking maybe Bucky should talk to the man. The Captain didn't trust Pierce. "Captain Rogers, I asked you nicely not to visit the prisoner."

"I apologize," Steve started to say but Pierce held up a hand to stop him. This time, Steve visibly frowned at the man and seemingly bit his tongue to keep silent. Clint glanced quickly at the vent and while he couldn't see Bucky, he felt the assassin's affirmation. They were going to work on bringing Steve to their team.

"Good luck keeping him away," Clint softly chuckled as Sitwell moved to escort Steve from the room. Steve glanced back at the archer quickly. "Steve always looks for the good in people."

"Too bad there is none in you," Pierce scoffed as if that statement would bother Clint. The archer couldn't help but smirk at the man in humor. Pierce looked rattled by that.

"I didn't imprison an innocent scientist after shaming his name for years. Nor did I brainwash Bucky Barnes into killing people, especially Howard Stark," Clint called, remembering his quick info dive on all his friends. Pierce frowned while Clint lowered his mental shields. " _Sorry._ "

" _I remember doing it. Not much can change what happened... In either reality,_ " Bucky sighed as both men then reinforced their mental shields. Sadly, neither man was fast enough to cover their release of emotion. Clint legit felt bad for Bucky and Bucky just basically felt guilt and emotionally wrecked. Neither man picked up Wanda's forgiveness and her attempt to make them feel better.

"What?" Steve cried, looking at Pierce with a sharp glare. Even without Pierce glaring at Clint, the archer could tell Steve must have noticed something wrong with Bucky. Pierce's glare wasn't helping his case whatsoever. The barrier that Steve had made in his head was beginning to crack. In fact, it was close to falling. Reading that Winter Solider had killed Howard and reading the evidence that showed Bucky might be the same man was completely different that hearing it affirmed by the man he had trusted since he woke up in this new time. "What is he talking about?"

"Go on," Clint encouraged, feeling only minimally upset about dropping this bombshell onto Steve. There was no way that this Steve was as ready as his Steve to deal with something like this. This big of a betrayal. "Tell him how Hydra found Bucky. Amputated his arm, tortured him, brainwashed him and used him for over 70 years worth of killing. And when you didn't need him, you iced him."

"Is this true?" Steve growled, his mind flashing to the file on the Winter Soldier. It listed extreme detail of how the man was treated and what to say and do around him. Much of what Clint was saying and much of what Steve had to deal with when seeing Barnes matched with what he had read. It was hard to keep that wall up now. Slowly, it crumbled and the two names became synonymous.

"Why don't you go ask your friend? He'll tell you the truth," Pierce replied. Clint's eyes narrowed as he wondered what the man had planned for Bucky. It was hard to believe that they already had a preset command in place for this but then again, Clint honestly wasn't that fully surprised. Steve turned to leave with Sitwell slowly trying to guide him out faster. Before Steve left, Clint focused on him and put as much sincerity and honesty onto his face as he could muster.

"Hey Steve, if any agent is around him, don't believe him," Clint called. Hydra would trust that their programming would work. They had no idea that Wanda had destroyed them and Bucky was free to be himself. By saying this, Pierce would tell all his agents to stay away and so Bucky would be free to do as he wished. Steve grimaced, understanding at least that Clint was warning away the Hydra agents hidden in S.H.I.E.L.D. He nodded and rushed off, leaving Sitwell to almost falling on his face at the sudden missing weight of the super soldier. Bucky quickly spun around and headed off toward his room, leaving Clint alone with Pierce. The last thing he saw was Pierce and Clint both giving each other smug looks like they knew something the other didn't. He missed a small army of agents coming in once Steve and Sitwell rushed off.

" _Idiot! I'm not in my room!_ " Bucky snapped, his panic lacing his words. A warm chuckle echoed in mind even as others began to give off curious, horrified and surprised emotions.

" _I know. You got time. Pierce is still glaring at me,_ " Clint informed, intentionally leaving out the army of people standing behind him now. He even sent a mental picture of Pierce pacing that had Bucky been paying attention would have noticed that Steve and Sitwell still hung out in the background. Bucky rolled his eyes. Apparently villains really were like they were in movies. They all monologue. One would think they'd know better.

* * *

Thankfully, Bucky did indeed make it back to his room fine. He was even able to clear the bed and was just about finishing putting away some of the excess material when his door burst open. Automatically, Bucky fell into a fighting stance but stopped when he noticed that it was the Word Guy. Still in the doorway and hanging out in the hall was the rest of the men that consisted of Bucky's torturers. Bucky's eyes narrowed only slightly and thankfully the doctor didn't notice. Apparently the man was in a rush. Honestly, Bucky wasn't surprised when Word Guy focused on him and stated one simple word.

"правда," the man stated. Bucky resisted raising an eyebrow at that even as the men took their leave. Inside his mind, Bucky knew that meant to state Hydra's truth of what happened to him but really? That usage of the Russian word for truth was kind of ironic considering their truth was entirely made up of lies. He shook his head before continuing to clean up his room. A minute or two later, there was a knock on his door that Bucky couldn't remember shutting after the other men left.

"Enter," Bucky greeted without thinking about it. If he had, he may of said something else. The door slowly opened, as if the person behind it was afraid of what he'd see.

"You can go now, Agent Sitwell," Steve's voice slipped through. Bucky jerked his head up and looked over.

"Please, listen to requests. They are for your safety and the safety of the other agents on base," Sitwell warned, as if he had been saying this since the duo had left Clint's cell. Bucky frowned and wondered what else Sitwell had told Steve on the path to his room. He also wondered if the agent had brought Steve on a roundabout path so that everyone was certain the order could have been given to him. There was another moment before the door slowly opened.

"James?" Steve timidly asked. Bucky inwardly grimaced. He always hated being called James. Bucky was actually the name that Steve came up with and it hurt even more that Steve now refused to use it. Under a good reason considering the man thought Hydra was good.

"Yeah?" he greeted, shifting to fully face his old friend. Steve gave him a worried look that made Bucky frown, mentally thankful that he actually could act however he wanted. Seeing the look and knowing what the man had heard from Clint only minutes prior, Bucky motioned for Steve to sit down in either the chair or the edge of his bed. "What's up?"

"That... Man," Steve began as he quickly moved to the chair, making sure to close the door behind him. Bucky shifted to sit on his bed and stare at Steve. When the captain didn't continue, Bucky spoke.

"Clint Barton?" he provided even as he made it sound like a question. Steve nodded, not really noticing that Bucky shouldn't have known who he meant. There were a lot of men around. Steve still didn't speak though. Bucky sighed. "What did he do?"

"He... He said some things," Steve started again before stopping, unsure what to say next. Bucky waited a moment before nodding in a silent prod for him to continue. Steve sighed deeply and focused on Bucky. "Are these people really Hydra?"

Bucky nearly jerked back at the sudden rush of anxiety. What would Steve think? Heck, what would he do? Would Steve forgive him for what he did as Winter Soldier? For a moment, old programming, worry, fear and insecurity made Bucky nearly lie to Steve. But then, Bucky got a hold of himself with a boost of courage from one of the others. His distracted mind couldn't focus on who sent it but as a just in case, he held up his shields just a bit more.

"Not everyone," Bucky finally admitted, feeling wonderful about not having to lie to Steve anymore. Steve nearly jumped to his feet in surprise and sudden anger. Bucky held his hands up to stop the man, knowing that Steve wanted to turn and attack anyone he suspected as Hydra. "About half the people here is secretly Hydra."

"Secretly? Hydra doesn't do secretly," Steve hissed, his anger coloring his words. Bucky winced even though he knew that the anger wasn't directed at him.

"They have for the past seventy or so years. They laid in wait," Bucky mentioned. Steve got up from the seat and began pacing the room. Bucky silently watched him. There was no use rushing this information. Let Steve slowly digest it.

"Did that man kill his family?" Steve growled, unsure about everything anyone has told him since he woke.

"No," Bucky said, shaking his head to emphasize it. Steve hissed out a sigh of anger. Before Steve could ask, Bucky continued. "Agent Sitwell formed a group of other Hydra agents and attacked him and his family."

"Why?" Steve nearly sobbed, stopping pacing and staring off in the distance. Bucky sighed deeply.

"Cause... This reality was made by Hydra for them to succeed in a mission that they failed to do in Clint's reality," Bucky replied, realizing how vague and strange that sounded after he said it. Steve turned to Bucky with a confused look.

"What?"

"This reality isn't the real reality," Bucky started. Steve opened his mouth to argue but Bucky raised a hand to stop him. "In the real reality, one that Clint Barton and I both remember along with nearly all of Hydra, there existed a group called the Avengers."

"You have got to be kidding me," Steve muttered. Bucky shook his head before nodding toward the chair. Without replying, Steve sat back down. Bucky sighed. He needed to go slow but who knows how long Bucky had to tell Steve everything the man needed to hear.

"The Avengers were formed after an alien god named Loki attacked Earth. The team was Bruce Banner, a scientist who had an incident with gamma radiation and could turn into a hulking green rage monster. Tony Stark, son of Howard Stark and genius in his own right. He built a mechanical exo-suit he called Iron Man that had special weapons built inside it. Thor, the alien god who happened to be the brother with the attacking god. He had the power of lightning at his command. A woman called Black Widow, an assassin highly trained and mostly known as an efficient killer. Yourself and Clint Barton, also known as Hawkeye," Bucky plowed on. Steve stared at him silently and Bucky half wondered if the man believed him. "After winning against Loki, the Avengers became a main attack force for Earth. Soon after, you joined S.H.I.E.L.D and after a couple of missions, suddenly found yourself trapped in a series of secrets. You and the Black Widow worked hard to uncover what was going on and found out Hydra was inside S.H.I.E.L.D and was using a new project to uncover themselves and take over the word."

"What project?" Steve muttered, actually sounding interested.

"The Triskillion," Bucky replied. Steve frowned.

"Pierce mentioned that earlier today. They're ahead of schedule," Steve grunted. Bucky frowned.

" _What? Bucky, get as much information as you can!_ " Clint suddenly screamed into his head. Bucky nearly winced. Apparently to get through his tougher shields, Clint had to get louder. But remembering a bit about the Triskillion and it's original design, Bucky knew how important it was to not only find what changed the realities but also stopping that ship from finishing.

"What do you mean?"

"I saw plans earlier. They'll be finished in less than two weeks," Steve mumbled. He focused on Bucky. "Is that bad?"

"The Triskillion has a computer program that can pinpoint anyone on Earth and send a killing blow to them with only a button," Bucky mentioned. Steve frowned, working on understand the 'jargon' that Bucky was telling him. Thankfully he had worked hard and learned a lot since waking up. Without Tony Stark watching him over his shoulder, Steve was able to learn faster and if not more than he had in the other reality about how technology worked.

"Wait, they could kill anyone?" Steve asked. Bucky nodded just as Steve jumped to his feet again. "We have to stop them!"

"Steve!" Bucky snapped, stopping the man from charging out of the room guns a blazing. Steve paused and focused on his old friend. "That's why Clint is here. I'm secretly trying to help him along with Wanda and Pietro Maximoff and Stephen Strange."

"The people Barton kidnapped?" Steve wondered. Bucky shook his head.

"The people who have teamed up with Clint to fix this reality," Bucky informed. Steve frowned, thinking over everything he just heard. Maybe Clint was as innocent as he said. Something about Sitwell had always made him uncomfortable but being with Clint felt nearly like being with an old friend. And Bucky... Well Bucky had to be telling the truth. He seemed more like the man Steve remembered before Bucky supposedly died and Steve went on ice.

"What do you need?" Steve commanded, mentally deciding that Pierce and Sitwell were now his enemy. Bucky frowned at the sudden change in his friend. He had expected Steve to believe him. Maybe not now but at least soon.

"What?"

"What do you need? From what I've noticed, you won't have as much free reign as you think. But everyone basically ignores me. What do you need?" Steve repeated. Bucky's frown deepened. He hadn't planned on Steve joining them. A spike of shock before determination from Clint meant he probably thought the same thing.

" _Information on the Triskillion. Have him work on that. You and I can focus on that stone that changed the reality,_ " Clint informed.

"Focus on the Triskillion. We need to know how close it is to being complete and if we can stop it," Bucky ordered. Steve nodded.

"Okay, James," he replied. Bucky winced this time.

"Please, in private, call me Bucky," the assassin begged. Steve suddenly let out a brilliant smile.

"Will do, Buck," Steve answered before saluting and rushing out of Bucky's room. Bucky could only sit back and let out a quick chuckle. Then he sighed and stood up. While Steve was working on the Triskillion, he should start looking for the Reality fucker.

* * *

 **So tomorrow is Little Darius** **'s second birthday. My does time fly. Speaking of time flying... Sorry I didn't post this earlier. I really need to work on my dang timing. Life has been a bit crazy around here. Job changes and the like. Hopefully things will be settling soon.**

 **Clint lost his first tooth. Yeah, four years old and lost his first tooth. Quite literally two days after his dental surgery it became loose on a slice of pizza. Kiddo played with it for two more days and then off it popped. And of course, Clint being Clint, felt it fall into his mouth and swallowed. So, poor Tooth Fairy had to hunt through you know what to find it. She did give him money, just not on the day he lost it cause she needed to find it first, but she did leave him a note explaining it. Hopefully he won't swallow the next one.**

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 **Reviews:**

Katie MacAlpine - Hee hee. That's what I wanted.

AngelWings98 - Thanks. Honestly I don't want to take a break from writing in any form but sometimes I don't really get a choice. Between writers block, depression and lack of time, it makes it difficult. Glad you loved it. As for the Defenders... Honestly, I don't know much about those characters. Don't really have time to watch the shows or anything but when I do get around to it, I might. But don't look for them any time soon. Gonna be a while. Sorry.


	16. End of the Line

A week went by in a blur of action that seemed to lead absolutely nowhere. Steve, at the request of Clint, met Phil Coulson (who had returned to HQ only days after Clint was locked away) and the duo worked on stalling the Triskillion's completion as much as possible without getting caught. Bucky and Clint both worked their own angles to try and learn about the stone though neither got very far. Pierce began getting tight lipped with the fact that the Triskillion's completion kept getting delayed. And Bucky was being watched more and more as the days went on. Even Steve was starting to get followed around at random intervals. Clint had a feeling that that might happen and no matter how much Steve and Bucky begged Clint, the archer refused to let Steve in on the stone. It was bad enough that he had to learn about the other reality.

" _This isn't working. Let us come and help,_ " Wanda urged in Clint's mind during a small break from visitors of any kind. Sitwell and Pierce seemed to trade off in tormenting him. Never mind the few Hydra agents that remembered their lost loved ones during the Battle of Manhattan. Clint still couldn't believe he was suffering from the events of Loki's mental rape in a reality that it had never happened in.

" _Yeah! I can search the place in under an hour!_ " Pietro bragged as much as he tried to pressure Clint into letting him help. The teens had been getting twitchier waiting in the background. Clint couldn't help but roll his eyes at their antics. He knew what he was doing and while it was taking longer than he had hoped, he knew he'd get there. Hopefully sooner rather than later as he wasn't sure how much longer he could stall everyone.

" _We don't even know if the stone is here and what it even looks like,_ " Clint pointed out for what seemed to be the hundredth time.

" _Maybe we should finally let Captain Rogers in on the stone and ask for his help,_ " Stephen suggested. It had been discussed before, not just by the two assassins but through everyone. Steve had admitted to Bucky that Pierce and Sitwell liked to hang around him a lot and that Pierce, in particular, loved to discuss the events surrounding the Triskillion. It almost seemed like the Hydra leader trusted Steve even with the Hydra agents following him around. Clint half believed that Sitwell set them on the Captain considering how the duo ended things in the other reality.

" _No! It's too dangerous,_ " Bucky snapped. He of course was the main objector to using Steve's help for this. It was bad enough in his mind that Steve was working the Triskillion with Pierce all over him. Clint was on Bucky's side which while not surprising to anyone, made Bucky feel better about it. The assassin felt guilty for not using Steve's help in fixing the world but Bucky refused to lose his friend even if it was a reality that would be reset.

" _We need to start doing something different,_ " Stephen mentioned as if that wasn't the main reason for this discussion. Clint sighed deeply and went to reply when suddenly everyone felt a jolt like someone pushed them before they were suddenly seeing out Bucky's eyes. Steve was standing there with a highly worried expression on his face. Bucky let out an air of confusion through the link.

"Steve?" the assassin called, surprise leaking into his voice.

"Sorry, I just got worried about you for a minute," Steve replied, backing away to fully stare at Bucky. Still Bucky leaked confusion.

" _Bucky, the link,_ " Clint warned, remembering how during training he'd look over the others and see a glazed look before he joined in with them. That glazed look was something Wanda couldn't get rid of, no matter how much training she gave anyone. Hence why they didn't like doing this type of discussion before knowing everyone was safely alone. With only two people talking back and forth it wasn't too noticeable, but the more people you add, the worse it got. Seconds later, everyone was back in their own mind. Clint frowned before pushing back toward Bucky and glancing through the assassin's eyes.

"I'm fine Steve. Just talking with the others," Bucky informed, unable to tell that Clint had reentered his mind to watch their conversation. Thankfully none of the others followed the archer's lead. They seemed to understand the need for privacy. But then again, none of them were spies unlike both Bucky and Clint.

"Oh. I wish I could do that too," Steve muttered, almost sounding wishful. Bucky shuddered as he thought distantly about being in Steve's mind. Something about knowing everything about Steve bothered him more than it had knowing about Stephen, Wanda, Pietro and even Clint.

"No, you really don't. It's not just conversation that can come through the link. Thoughts, feelings, dreams... And if your mental shields aren't strong enough, you could lost yourself in the other person's mind, memories and everything that makes them... them," Bucky warned, having known now what it feels like to get pulled into someone's nightmare. He nearly lost himself in Clint's mind before he was able to focus. Steve grimaced, having not thought about the downsides before. Being linked to someone's mind didn't just mean surface thoughts passed back and forth. If you relax for just a moment, the other person could accidentally pull you into them.

"But with training," Steve started to argue. Clint felt Bucky's emotion spike with annoyance.

"No," Bucky said again. Steve sighed and nodded. Without the full warnings and a display from Wanda, Steve would always feel a bit left out. Rolling his eyes, Bucky went to move on. There was a reason Steve was in his room and it wasn't to get him to convince Wanda to join the Captain in on the link. "So, what's up? Learn anything?"

"Not really anything new going on. Without the plans I took, the Triskillion's completion is stalled and they're still looking on the wrong side of the base for it. Pierce is furious about the whole thing and keeps talking to Sitwell and a few others about some sort of restart," Steve dutifully reported, not knowing what he just revealed. But for one being so used to being in charge, Steve did well under Bucky's command. Almost as if he had waited for Bucky to show off his leadership skills.

"Wait! Restart?" Bucky asked, his mind slowly processing what Steve had just told him. Steve nodded, confused as to why that would be important. He had always thought the way Pierce brought it up was strange.

"Yeah. Sitwell suggested it first. Saying they should do something over and make only one change... Something about killing Clint Barton as a boy," Steve muttered, his inability to agree about the split reality still leaking through. It was a discussion that Bucky and Steve had had many times and Steve had even had with Clint. But neither assassin could fully convince Steve that there was a reality that aliens attacked New York, he led a team with Tony Stark in an iron suit, a god named Thor, Bruce Banner who turned into a hulking green giant, Black Widow and Hawkeye.

"Did he ever say how?" Bucky wondered, not fully sure if Pierce could actually be that stupid. But then again, with how Pierce had been acting these past few days, Bucky really wouldn't be surprised.

"Kinda... He showed me this red stone. Said it had a special power and he asked if there was anything I'd want," Steve said. It was clear to see that Steve was skeptical about the whole idea. Bucky couldn't blame him. He would be as well but with everything he remembered and had dealt with, now he almost expected the strangeness. Bucky's eyes widened. Did he hear Steve right? Pierce actually showed him the stone? It was here? Spinning to his desk, Bucky removed a notebook he had stashed there for plans. He opened to a blank page and shoved it and a pencil at Steve.

"Draw it, please!" Bucky half ordered and half begged of his friend. Steve frowned at the man's reaction but nodded and took the notebook from his friend. As Steve headed over to Bucky's desk to start drawing, Bucky shifted to focus on the link. Slowly, he called everyone and he had to admit, he wasn't surprised to find Clint was already focused on him. The archer had little to do other than stare at a wall or look through someone else eyes. Wanda, Pietro and Stephen had made mention that they were uncomfortable with this but Bucky didn't care and so Clint tended to follow him a lot. " _The stone is here!_ "

" _I heard,_ " Clint replied more for the others benefits than Bucky's. His pleasure of things finally starting to turn his way was sent through the link. Wanda, who had known that Clint was following Bucky as well, sent a warm chuckle. " _Now we just need to get it before Pierce uses it._ "

" _I'll transport us into town so that we are nearby and ready,_ " Stephen told the assassins. Clint sent an affirmation and then everyone felt Stephen's magic surge through them as he created the portal. The rush was split through all of them and apparently even the energy taken was split as Stephen commented; " _Wow, that seemed much easier._ "

" _Good. I'll see if maybe I can try to goad Pierce into bringing it out in front of me,_ " Clint reported. Bucky suddenly felt a light tapping on his shoulder. Carefully, Bucky pulled out to focus on Steve. The man help up his notepad. It was opened to the drawing of a bright stone held in someone's hand. It was black and white due to the fact that there was only a pencil and black ink pen in Bucky's room. Steve tended to hoard all the colored pencils and pens on base that he could find. Thankfully Pierce didn't seem to care.

"This is what he showed me," Steve told his friend. Bucky nodded.

"Thanks," he replied.

" _That the stone?_ " Wanda asked, neatly pulling the image forward into everyone's mind. Bucky sent back an affirmation.

" _I've seen something like that before... In the ancient library. I think it's part of a set,_ " Stephen commented, his mind a flurry as he tried to remember.

" _Not important right now. Right now, it's all about that red stone,_ " Clint retorted. He was right, details didn't matter at this point. All that mattered was creating a plan to get that stone out of Pierce's hands. " _It's nearing time for my meal, I'll cut out before the alarm starts._ "

Everyone agreed to let Clint cut out but without Clint there, no one was able to take the lead and make a plan. Slowly, the link dissolved and everyone went back to their own minds. Bucky sighed and focused on Steve as he distantly heard Clint's alarm start before hardening his shield. The man was giving him a questioning look and suddenly Bucky realized that Steve had no idea about the stone. Well, this was going to be an issue. He mentally winced. While Wanda, Pietro and Stephen had suggested many times to bring Steve in on the stone mission, Bucky and Clint knew Steve well. Unknowingly, the soldier would blow the mission.

"Is this stone needed for the Triskillion?" Steve asked once he was certain that the assassin was focused on him. Bucky fought to keep emotion from appearing on his face but Steve knew him. Sadly, Steve knew him far too well. The Captain's eyes narrowed as he realized Bucky had been keeping something from him. "It doesn't. Is this what you've been looking for?"

"Uh," Bucky smartly answered even as he wished he was anywhere but standing before Steve. The assassin could almost feel Steve reading the truth off of him. Steve frowned, feeling hurt that Bucky wasn't willing to tell him what was really going on.

"Do you need help?" Steve wondered, wanting to be of some better use. Messing with the Triskillion's completion felt more like a childish prank than anything. He wanted to do something more.

"NO!" Bucky panic-ally called. Steve's eyes widened in surprise as the hurt began to surface more. Bucky winced.

"Whoa," Steve commented unsure how to respond to that outburst. Bucky sighed before slowly looking Steve over. The man just wanted to help his friend in whatever way possible. Steve could tell that Bucky was getting stressed over this and Steve naturally wanted to help. There was no changing that. Maybe he should give up a bit more information. If only to stop Steve from looking into the situation himself.

"This stone is about the fake reality," Bucky admitted, moving to sit down on the edge of his bed. Steve frowned and it was obvious that the captain still didn't believe.

"Really? I… I thought you were joking."

"No. I really wish I was, but no," Bucky replied, shaking his head and letting it fall into his hands to cover his face. A second later the bed dipped and Bucky peeked an eye out to see Steve sitting beside him.

"So, you need that?" Steve asked. Bucky slowly nodded.

"But, don't worry! We have a plan in place!" Bucky lied. Steve's frown deepened but he didn't argue. There wasn't much more to say after that. Either they fight about it or Steve just accepts that Bucky doesn't want his help.

"Okay," Steve said and Bucky got the idea that Steve didn't actually believe him. He frowned even as Steve stood. Bucky watched him start to leave the room.

"Steve," Bucky called as soon as the captain got to the door. Steve stopped and turned to look at him. "Don't do anything stupid."

* * *

Clint sighed as he finished downing his water that came with his meal. Sometimes he got the simple offering, other times it was a yellow substance that Clint didn't trust not to be piss. Thankfully, since the first day being jailed, the food that was delivered hadn't been drugged with anything to knock him out. Once there was a hallucinogenic drug there but when Clint refused to let it show that the drug bothered him, no one tried again. Typically, without the drugs, Clint tended to get a lot of Hydra agents visiting cause they wanted to 'teach him a lesson'. Most of those lessons were beatings from a team of three or more agents. _Wussies._ During the first one of these lessons, Bucky tried to come and help Clint out but Clint stopped him. This had always been the downside of his plan but then again, getting caught by anyone meant getting beaten at some point or another.

Sitwell's visits were the worst. The man knew much more personal information about Clint than many of the other agents that came to visit. Never mind the fact that all Clint could picture when he saw the man was the bodies of his family. Even though he'd only been here a week, Sitwell tended to visit at least once a day.

"Agent Barton," Pierce's voice called into the room. Clint looked up and saw Pierce entering the room with a team of men behind him. The archer ignored the men in favor of focusing his attention on Pierce. Subtly, his eyes scanned the man for the stone. It wasn't typical to have someone visit so soon after a meal so something happened. And judging by Pierce's highly pleased face, it wasn't in Clint's favor. "Do me a favor, go stand against the back wall."

"Why?" Clint hissed, settling himself further into the spot next to his doorway where the food always got dropped off. Pierce smiled.

"Do it," he commanded. Clint crossed his arms, waiting for a better reason even as he mentally questioned why Pierce seemed to enjoy his defiance. When Pierce realized they were at a stand still, he pulled a small device from his pocket. Clint's vision zeroed in on it and he was surprised to see it looked almost like a garage clicker. The archer tensed, wondering if at some point someone had done something to him that would make that clicker work on him. But when Pierce hit the button, Clint felt nothing. Instead, he heard a familiar voice cry out in pain. Clint jumped to his feet as the team of men behind Pierce shifted.

"STEVE!" Clint cried, slightly horrified at the sight of his friend. Steve was on his knees, eyes nearly bloodshot red. He looked like Iron Man and Thor had taken some potshots at him and Hulk decided the captain was his own personal teddy bear. Strapped to his neck was a silver band and Clint quickly recognized it as a shock collar. A shock collar that had at one point been just a design concept for Hulk (until Bruce got his hands on the design and told Fury it would never work on him). Steve slowly looked up at Clint and gave him a saddened look.

"Move to the wall or your captain will get shocked again," Pierce ordered again. This time, Clint complied. As soon as his back touched the wall, Pierce released the door lock to his cell and the team shoved a weakened Steve into the room. Clint went to go help his friend but stopped when Pierce raised his hand with the control for Steve's collar. The archer gritted his teeth and watched as the team not so carefully dragged Steve to the center of of the cell and leave him. Once they left and closed the cell door, Pierce put the remote away and Clint surged to Steve's side. He glared at Pierce.

"Why?" Clint growled at Pierce. "Thought you had him on your side."

"There has been some enlightening video coverage of our dear Captain doing some very bad things," Pierce scoffed, not fully admitting what Steve did. Steve grimaced and looked up at Clint with sorrowful eyes. Clint gently shook his head, he really didn't want Steve to reveal anything right now. Especially not of the link. "Apparently he isn't as godly as the comic portray him to be."

"Fuck you," Clint snarled, nearly jumping to his feet as if it threatened Pierce.

"Language," Steve softly gasped out. Clint's head nearly cracked at he looked back down at him. He knew for a fact that Bucky had sworn in front of him before and Steve never said that. In fact, Steve typically only said it to Tony. Pierce laughed.

"Oh yeah. I did you both a favor and restored his memory of our old reality," Pierce informed, still laughing. Clint sagged, half in relief and half in resignation that Steve would have to suffer this as well. Steve was himself, or at least the 'himself' that Clint knew best. He wasn't the only Avenger in this anymore. "Have fun watching the Triskillion be completed. I think I even know the first target. One Anthony Edward Stark."

Pierce gave off a maniacal laugh as he and the men from before left the cell area. Clint snorted at the man but didn't comment. He needed to get that stone and fast. Thankfully, he knew where the stone way, Pietro, Wanda, and Stephen were nearby and Bucky was available to help. There wasn't much that Pierce could do. The Triskillion would never be completed.

"Clint," Steve started to say before stopping. Clint looked down at the man again. Steve was focused on him. "I'm... I'm sorry."

"For what?" Clint mumbled, careful of the cameras that were still watching. Steve frowned for a moment before understanding dawned on his face. His tactics changed. No need to let Pierce know that Steve was stalling the Triskillion at Clint's words.

"Laura and the kids," Steve gasped out. Clint shook his head, trying to keep the memories away.

"Ain't your fault," the archer muttered, trying to hold back how much it hurt to have his family mentioned. He couldn't wait until the realities were fixed and he'd be able to hold Laura and his kids again. There was no way he'd release them for like a week. No matter how sick of him they'd get, he'd never let them out of his sight. Suddenly, Steve jerked up, nearly slamming his head into Clint's, and stared at the archer.

"Bucky! They found out about him!" Steve called. Clint frowned wondering why Pierce hadn't mentioned that. Heck, why hadn't anyone from the link done it?

"Steve, calm down," Clint soothed before opening the link to try and call out to Bucky. But was he shocked to feel that Bucky wasn't connected to him anymore. Clint focused on Wanda instead who felt like she was distantly watching. " _Wanda! What happened?_ "

" _I'm sorry. We couldn't reach you with Pierce there and by the time anything was going on, it was too late. We had to act,_ " Wanda nearly sobbed. Clint tensed, feeling her horror, grief and guilt over the situation. " _I had to un-link him to the rest of us._ "

" _Why?_ " Clint nearly screamed. His hands tightened their grip on Steve and the soldier shifted Clint so his back was to the cameras.

" _They started his programming again. We feared it would hit us all through the link,_ " Wanda explained, trying to keep her voice level even though Clint could tell she must be crying. Clint grit his teeth so hard he began to nearly hear them crack. Wanda had warned them before that once the link was broken, she couldn't fix it unless she was within sight of the person. And right now, there was not a single sight line to Bucky. " _What should we do?_ "

Clint didn't reply. He had no answer at this point. Without Bucky and Steve freely exploring the base, Clint had no idea what to do. Pietro could easily speed through the building and do what needed to be done to stop the Triskillion but the more important thing was the stone. And now that Pierce used it on Steve and knew about Bucky's defection, he would be more on guard. In fact, Clint wouldn't be surprised if he was going to start looking for Stephen, Wanda and Pietro. But before Clint could send out a warning, the link suddenly fully cut from everyone. The blow back actually knocked Clint out.

"CLINT!" Steve cried as the archer fell backwards suddenly. It took the captain an extra moment to realize that Clint was unconscious. He grimaced and looked to the cameras. Something had to have happened in the link and there was no way he could cover this. Pierce was gonna know. "Clint..."

* * *

 **Uh oh... What did I do? How will they get out of this one? Hee hee.**

 **For those keeping up to date with my boys, not much has happened this week or so. Darius is speaking a few more words but isn't near where he should be. Most people seem satisfied with his progress but I just feel like something is going on with him. Clint is okay. Giving me tons of attitude and yelling at me a lot. But that is the life of a mother. Gonna have to get used to it. Hopefully sooner or later I can get him to stop. I know that I need to find some help for me soon or I'm gonna break. Hope to get a lot of reviews. They are lovely to read.**

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Katie MacAlpine - Hee hee. Pretty sure they got through.

Ravenclawdiadem16 (Clint is Whom?) - Ironically, you actually found the sequel all by yourself. This is Clint is Whom's sequel. While it doesn't always seem like it, it is. In fact, I am even working on the next in the series; Clint is Dead. Can't wait to start posting that. It has a slower start, but oh, so fun right now. Just started writing Chapter 17 and no where near done with it yet.


	17. Reality Stone

The rest of the day passed by faster than Steve ever imagined it would. Clint woke up an hour or two after suddenly falling unconscious but all he did was sit his back against the wall and refused to move. Even when food was being delivered and the loud siren came on. Worried for his friend, Steve tried to help cover Clint's ears along with his own. Once the siren turned off, Steve tried talking Clint into eating some of the food but Clint didn't budge. Steve even tried making plans with Clint but the archer had shut down.

What Steve hadn't realized was that the backlash of the link suddenly closing while Clint's shield was partially down had created a massive amount of damage. Clint was getting trapped in memories even as he tried to rebuild his shields and put everything back where it belonged. The archer didn't notice anything going on around him. Not that Steve was trying to feed him, or talking to him. Or even the loud siren that hurt his ears. Clint was gone. But as the door to the room opened, Steve glanced at Clint and saw the archer rapidly blink just as Pierce entered.

"Is the mighty Hawkeye finally broken?" Pierce mocked. Steve turned and glared at Pierce as Clint slowly and unsteadily turned around to look. Bucky... No, the Winter Soldier followed right behind Pierce and silently set himself in the same corner Clint saw him in when he first woke in the cell. Clint frowned as the Winter Soldier stood in a weird way and then suddenly titled his head just the slightest. It took Clint longer than he wanted to admit to realize the Winter Soldier wasn't under Pierce's control. The Winter Soldier was still Bucky.

"What do you want now?" Steve snarled, getting to his feet as an act of defiance. Pierce just chuckled.

"Oh, not much," Pierce replied. Slowly, he moved to the side and a group of people walked in with two teenagers in between them. One was a girl with brunette hair and dressed mostly in red. She had a collar strapped to her throat, similar to Steve's. The other was a boy with silver hair and dressed mostly in the same color. He had what looked to be fifty pound weights strapped to his wrists and ankles. Clint shifted to stare at the twins in horror as Steve worked to place them. Knowing they were in another reality wasn't as shocking as suddenly seeing someone he thought of as dead. "Just, I have some guests for you."

"Clint! I'm so sorry!" Wanda sobbed as she looked up and spotted the archer facing her. Clint worked himself into a standing position, his head throbbing from the aftereffects. Wanda had warned them that something like this was possible if she was linked to someone when someone else knocked her out. Clint should have realized it sooner even with his mind as scrambled as it had been. "They jumped us!"

"I guess I should be thankful to you, Barton. Without you, we wouldn't have caught these two again. They were just so good at staying away. And with the Triskillion only a day away from launching, well... Who's to say they wouldn't be chosen on the wrong side," Pierce laughed. "Wow, things are wrapping up quite nicely."

"Where's Strange?" Clint hissed, partly to Pierce and also to the twins. Pierce's eyebrows raised in surprise. Almost as if he assumed that Clint didn't care about whoever he teamed up with. Steve glanced at Clint. He knew the twins and Bucky but there had never been mention of a man named Strange as odd as that sounded.

"They killed him," Pietro growled, glaring at Pierce with such intensity that Steve was partly amazed that Pierce didn't burn into flames. Pierce again laughed at Clint's face as the archer nearly blanched. Steve growled, wishing he could bust through the glass wall and strangle Pierce himself.

"The mystic? We didn't need him," Pierce explained. In a fit of extreme rage that had never come over Clint before, the archer swiftly moved and punched the glass of his cell with all his might. Everyone was stunned when the glass actually splintered. Pierce had only a second to spun around to start to seal off the room before Steve lunged forward to finish off what Clint started. Clint nearly jumped to the side to get out of the super soldier's way but found he didn't need to as the glass shattered after one hit. Meanwhile, Wanda ripped her hands out of the bonds they had been in and used her power to shove as many Hydra guards as she could into a nearby wall. Pietro vibrated himself out of the weights on his body and latched onto Pierce, his hands already blurring as they searched every inch of Pierce's body for the stone. Bucky surged forward, a gun appearing in his hands as he started to work on shooting or knocking the rest of the Hydra agents unconscious.

With the glass wall down, Steve and Clint rushed a few of the recovering agents. Steve headed more toward Bucky while Clint headed toward Wanda. Shots rang out as Bucky fired on anyone who tried to take out their own weapon. Wanda used her power to shield her teammates in the compacted space and to stop more agents from pouring into the room. Pietro suddenly let out a whoop of joy as Pierce screamed in rage.

"I GOT IT!" Pietro shouted as if everyone hadn't realized and he jumped off Pierce to rush over to Clint's side. Pierce stumbled to the floor as Steve, Bucky and Wanda moved to flank Clint and Pietro in an oddly protective circle. Pietro handed the stone over to Clint. "Go on, fix it."

As Clint reached for the stone, Pierce suddenly cackled. The archer paused as Pierce began to sound more and more hysterical. Pietro shifted his weight, impatient over what was happening and annoyed that Pierce still sounded like he won. Wanda readied herself for some sort of attack. Bucky glanced back at Clint, his gun unwavering in it's aim at Pierce. Steve also tensed, watching the room as a whole.

"You fool! You have no idea!" Pierce cried while still laughing. Clint glanced over his team like he wondered if somehow Pierce had made one of them change sides. All the fears from before came back to Clint. Was there a certain amount of times this could be used? Could only Pierce use it? Did they pass a time limit? "You have no idea how to work that!"

"Well, you used it," Clint deadpanned before grabbing the stone from Pietro. Pietro placed a hand on Clint's shoulder in a symbol of solidarity even as Clint focused on the idea of destroying Pierce's reality and returning it to his own. ' _I want things to go back to how they were before Hydra ever got a hold of this stone._ '

Even as Clint finished his thought, the archer's vision whited out and the sensation of moving overcame him. A few seconds later, the moving stopped but the vision was a bit slower to return. As it did, Clint noticed more and more details about where he was now. It was a room, a bit smaller than the cell he had been in before with light bamboo floors, eggshell white walls and three simple chairs all facing each other. But nothing else. No door, no window, nothing. Clint tensed.

"What just happened?" The voice startled Clint as he had thought he was alone but he turned to see Pietro was standing beside him. He stepped away, surprised to see that the teen had somehow been brought with him to wherever this was.

"I... Uh... Don't know," Clint replied, stunned as to what just happened.

"You activated the stone," a voice called out to the duo. Pietro jumped and quickly speed around the room, trying to find who said that as if they were hidden in the plain room. Clint automatically dropped into his normal attack stance with a bow and arrow suddenly included. Pietro was the first to notice as Clint kept the arrow trained on Pietro in case whoever it was jumped out at the fast teen. He skidded to a halt and pointed.

"Whoa. Where was that hidden?" the speedster asked. Clint frowned before noting what he was now suddenly holding. He hadn't held a bow since before this whole event. Slowly, he relaxed the string and stood, staring at the weapon in surprise before looking down at himself and realizing he was suddenly dressed in his normal Avengers uniform. Clint could only blink in surprise. He hadn't been wearing that a second ago either.

"What the?" Clint muttered, cutting off before actually swearing. Pietro frowned but didn't comment as the voice spoke again.

"You wanted it, so it came," the voice informed. Clint and Pietro quickly looked around again. This time a person actually stood off to the side of the room. Both men tensed at the sight but there was something familiar and not so about the person. Like they knew them but didn't. In fact, even as they stared, neither Clint nor Pietro could describe the person. The person was just... There. "Hello."

"Who are you?" Pietro whispered in a lost and stunned tone.

"Who do you want me to be?" the person wondered even as their form shifted to almost a strange mix of Wanda and Natasha. Clint frowned at the image. Somehow, Wanda's face with Natasha's hair and body didn't match well. The person chuckled. "It's easier if you chose one person."

But no matter how much Pietro and Clint thought about it, neither could settle on the same person long. Then again, Clint couldn't seem to settle on even one. His mind raced through images of his friends, family, co-workers and even people who had died at his hands and by others while he watched. The person before the duo chuckled at them. It had never worked with two people before but after this, it seemed like a fun thing to do.

"Who are you?" Pietro asked again as if the person would give a straight answer. The person, their image settling more on Wanda than anyone else, focused on the speedster.

"I'm whoever you want me to be," the person retorted again as if that was a clear response. Clint frowned as Pietro shook his head. That wasn't what either wanted to hear. Clint turned to look around again. As he focused more on the room, he began to notice subtle changed there too. The light bamboo floors had changed to a darken ash and the eggshell white walls now had an almost purplish hue. A window had suddenly appeared but only showed a blackened outside. And a door that Clint suspected led to nowhere was also present. That was when Clint finally got it.

"The stone," he said so softly that it was hard to hear. Pietro and the person, who now shifted to look like Laura, focused on Clint.

"What?" Pietro wondered, still not getting what was going on. He may be fast but he wasn't always fast on the uptake. Sometimes his mind seemed to be so far ahead that he missed the here and now. Clint looked at the teen before focusing on the person. He winced at seeing Laura before the person rapidly shifted to look like Tony. Somehow that almost seemed just as bad.

"Are you the stone?" Clint questioned the Tony look alike. The person smiled.

"Not quite," it replied. "You are the first person to make the connection that fast. Most take more hints."

"What?" Pietro repeated, confused as he looked between the person and Clint. With it's attention on Clint, the person's appearance didn't change whenever Pietro looked.

"If you aren't quite the stone, then who are you?" Clint growled, fed up with all this jumping around. The person chuckled.

"I'm whoever you want," it countered. Clint rolled his eyes, clearing showing that he was annoyed. But apparently his annoyance was what the person needed to continue explaining. "I am, and this room is, a mental construct of the Reality Stone. Your thoughts and wishes have molded us into what you see."

For a moment, Clint and Pietro just stared at the person. It was almost hard for them to conceive that they were basically imagining all this. Even with the link through Wanda, they hadn't done anything like this. The duo traded a look as they mentally wondered if this whole thing was real. Amazingly, Clint got over the idea first.

"So, if you are basically the Reality Stone, how do I erase what Hydra did?" Clint inquired to the still Tony body double. Meanwhile, Pietro looked about the room and thought of various things he wanted there. A little plant in one corner, a 70' Plasma TV, a bookshelf filled with every book he could remember the title of, and other useless baubles like photos, souvenirs and figurines. Clint smirked at the sight before ignoring it and focusing on the 'Stone'.

"I do not know of Hydra," the Stone answered. Clint frowned. He had assumed this thing was all knowing but apparently it relied on more outside information than he thought.

"Alexander Pierce, the man who was using you before," Clint explained. The Stone smiled and mouthed an 'oh'.

"Ah. You simply think it and it will be," the Stone replied. Slowly, it looked over to Pietro. Clint followed the gaze as he noticed Pietro had grabbed one photo off the bookcase. With his superior vision, Clint could see it looked to be a family photo of a loving mother and father and two young kids that looked similar to a young Pietro and Wanda. The archer couldn't help but feel guilty. "But, do you truly wish for things to return like that? I see potential for great horrors in that path," it warned. Clint paused for a moment. "And not all of you are there."

"I…" Clint started to say even as Pietro placed the photo down and suddenly created a dog that resembled a young Lucky. The archer winced as the teen laughed joyfully and suddenly the room dissolved into a large park and Pietro began to play with the dog.

"You could erase his death. Erase Ultron from ever being created. Maybe even go further. Stop Loki. Save all those people? Stop Barney's betrayal? Save your mother?" the Stone suggested, over and over. Clint nearly whimpered. It was so tempting. There was so much he could do with this stone. Natasha could have a childhood. Bruce wouldn't make or even need Hulk. Tony would never get kidnapped in Afghanistan. He could even go back and help Steve. Get rid of World War II.

"No," Clint nearly sobbed as his mind raced through the possibilities. Almost as if sensing the archer's issue, Pietro looked over to them.

"Clint?" the teen asked. Clint focused on him, wanting to stop thinking about what he could do. Pietro stood and the dog vanished as he walked over to the archer. "You okay?"

Clint slowly shook his head. Pietro gave a quick glare over at the Tony look alike before pulling Clint into a quick hug. When he backed away from it, Clint slowly lowered his head onto the teen's shoulder. He really shouldn't be asking this of the kid but it felt nice. "Can I really do this?"

"Hey, I told you from the start. Do what you need to do," Pietro muttered. Clint sighed and pulled the teen into a hug again. Gradually, he released Pietro and looked up into the teen's eyes, his hands never leaving the kid's arms. Pietro was right. He needed to do what needed to be done. There was no way he could change what happened to any of his friends. If he did, he was no worse than Pierce. Sadly though, this meant he couldn't change what happened to Pietro. Things needed to go back to before Pierce found the stone and Clint needed to have it. With that decided, Clint felt the urge to hug Pietro again and when he did so, Pietro hugged back fiercely. The Stone smiled brightly. Clint was the first man who ever decided not to change at least one thing in their or the universe's history. He wanted things exactly how it was supposed to be. Slowly, the world began to disappear around the hugging duo and neither truly noticed.

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 **Wow... Quick bit of feels there. Hope everyone enjoyed! One chapter left and then I get to post my sequel. Which totally scares me cause the sequel isn** **'t done yet and I still have to edit it. _ Hope I can get it done on time.**

 **Darius and Clint are well. Being annoying children like always. Well, no... They are being children but I'm annoyed with them cause I'm in a mood. Ugh. Wish I could control myself better. No new news with them. School is almost out for Clint and then I get two weeks with him home before he goes to a summer school for a few weeks. And I guess that's it.**

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Katie MacAlpine - Hope you feel better this week. Flu stinks.


	18. Epilogue

**Yes, I know. Normally I post at the bottom but the ending to this can't be ruined by an author's note. So this story is now complete and it's sequel will be posted later today. The sequel will be called** _ **Clint is Dead**_ **. Oh... Ominous, lol. Hope you all enjoyed and had lots of fun. The next story is something I'm excited about but it does have a rather slow build so give it time. No responses or favorites are gonna be listed today.**

 **Enjoy the final chapter of** _ **After Death Comes a Knocking!**_

* * *

The loud screams of a hungry and cranky baby had Clint suddenly jack knife out of bed and knocking something to the floor. He barely registered a blur of silver passing by as he tried to place what was going on. Last thing he remembered was being in a room with Pietro and a Tony double. Slowly he looked around and realized that he was home. In fact, he was in his bedroom and as he turned to look at the rest of the room, he noticed a bundle of blankets beside him. Slowly, it groaned and moaned and began to shift around. Clint smiled. He couldn't help it. He was home.

"Hon, can you get him?" Laura's sleep voice called through the blankets. The archer rolled down onto his wife and pulled her into a stiff hug. She shifted beneath him and groaned some more. Once he pulled away, she was peeking an eye out now. "Clint?"

"Laura," Clint breathed in a sigh of relief at her. He was finally home and Laura was alive. That meant his kids were alive as well. Another loud wail erupted through the room but Clint was too busy staring at his lovely wife. Laura shifted up into a sitting position to stare better at Clint.

"Are you okay?" she asked, worried that lack of sleep after Sokovia and the newborn was bothering him. Clint's smile brightened.

"Yeah. Yeah, I think I am," Clint told her. Laura frowned as a third shriek echoed in the room. Clint nearly laughed in joy at the sound and the face Laura made from it as she turned to the doorway. Finally, Clint shifted to get out of bed as he waved Laura off. "Go back to sleep. I'll get him."

With that said, he got out of bed and started to walk out of the room. Laura's frown deepened but right now she was too tired to argue with her husband. Shaking her head, she laid back down as Clint headed into the hall. Smiling at his wife, Clint silently stalked down the hall even as his youngest let out another shrill scream for food or a diaper change or even attention. As the archer reached the room, a door opened further down the hall and a sleepy Cooper came out.

"Dad?" Cooper asked as he started to rub sleep from his eyes. Clint smiled, fighting the urge to run over and pull his son into a massive hug.

"Hey Coop. It's okay, I got him. Go back to bed," the archer soothed, knowing how helpful his oldest was with the little one. Cooper frowned at the words and tone that his father used but nodded and headed to his room. Once his door was closed, Clint glanced at Lila's door. The girl could sleep through the end of the world so he wasn't surprised that she wasn't awake. Letting his smile turn into a grin, Clint headed into his youngest's room. Nate was there at the edge of his crib, glaring at the door but when he saw his father step in, a smile broke on his face and he let out a loud cry that could be considered a cry of joy.

"I know, I know," Clint chuckled at the boy and closed the door behind him. The room was already set up with some bottles and formula that Clint headed over too. Laura wasn't producing as much milk for Nate as the babe needed, so they had to supplement. It bothered Laura and nearly spiraled her into a postpartum depression. So when Clint noticed, he decided that he'd use the formula for each feeding that he did while Laura could save her milk for her own feedings. It worked well, other than the fact that it didn't help Laura produce more but at least she didn't seem to get any worse.

Nate let out another scream as Clint began shaking the bottle of formula. Clint snorted at the boy and put the bottle down by the feeding chair so he could grab the boy. But as he lifted Nate out of the crib, his nose caught a whiff of a smell that he was surprised he didn't notice when he first entered. Clint huffed out a laugh as he shifted his son.

"Piu (pee-yew)! You need a diaper change," Clint declared, changing his motions. Thankfully the changing table was near the bottle so Clint laid Nate down and one handed the bottle over to the boy. With one hand, he worked to change the boy, being far more successful than he had before this adventure. Nate was even too distracted by the bottle to be much of an issue. Once Clint finished, he picked the babe up and headed over to the feeding chair. "Ha. Seems I'm getting better at that."

Slowly, Clint sat down and began to rock even as he adjusted Nate and waited till a burping time. But as time seemed to drag on by, Clint found himself drifting to his memories of his family, dead downstairs. On Hydra taking over the world. And everything else that just happened to him. For a moment he nearly panicked but then Nate hiccuped and both of them dropped the bottle in surprise. Silently, Clint and Nate watched the bottle bounce around the floor and then roll away. Once it stopped near the doorway, Nate looked back at Clint as if it was only his fault and let out an ear-piercing wail.

"All right! All right, I'll go get it!" Clint tried to sooth before rushing to get up. The second he had gotten the bottle, he handed it over to Nate. Even with it nearly empty, the boy immediately calmed down and began drinking it again. Smiling, Clint shook his head and returned to the chair. A few minutes later, Nate finished the bottle and relaxed more into Clint's arms and drifted off to sleep before Clint even noticed. As the archer looked down and spotted his son sleeping, the door to the room slowly opened. Clint decided Laura didn't need him returning to the bedroom tonight. He just wanted to sit here and hold his little one. I mean, he did say he wouldn't let them leave his sight for a week or more.

"So... That's the kid named after me?"

Clint nearly tossed Nate into the air at the sudden question. That voice didn't match with anyone in his family but it was familiar enough that Clint wasn't too concerned. Quickly, Clint's eyes tracked over to the door to see it open and in the doorway, leaning on the door frame was Pietro. The teen had a shit-eating grin on his face and two mugs of coffee in his hands. Lucky stood beside the teen with a bone in his mouth as he happily wagged his tail. Clint could only stare at the image. Pietro smiled, knowing that Clint was in shock over seeing him. Heck, he had been shocked when he suddenly appeared in the Barton domicile. "Guess we should talk?"

"Pietro?"


End file.
